Harry Potter and the Sacred Ash
by WolfsbaneKnight
Summary: Meet Harry Potter, an unusual boy leading a very mundane life. That all changes when he receives an invite to Hogwarts School of Pokemon Training, an elite establishment for the education of young people in Pokemon knowledge. Join Harry as he travels to his new school, making friends, meeting enemies, and learning about the mysterious world of Pokemon.
1. Privet Drive

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Harry James Potter of Number 4 Privet Drive was a highly unusual boy. Yet why he seemed so unusual was something of a mystery to the residents of the small suburb of Little Whinging where young Harry lived with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and his cousin Dudley.

Maybe it was the way he dressed, in clothes that were always several sizes too big for him, or perhaps it was how quiet he was, with his big startling green eyes watching, but it was widely agreed that there was something not quite right about the youngest resident of the Dursley household.

Harry himself couldn't tell you why he was different, though he knew he was. His parents, who were never mentioned within the Dursley household, had died when he was very young, in a car crash, or so Aunt Petunia had told him the one time he dared ask. He was taught at a very young age not to ask questions and therefore his life before the Dursley's remained much of a mystery.

On this particular Saturday morning our story starts we find Harry where he spends most of his free time; his bedroom, which, as it happened, turned out to be the cupboard under the stairs. He'd been awake for a couple of hours now but hadn't yet moved from his small cot, finding solace in the peace of the early hours of the morning, for this day just so happened to be Harry's eleventh birthday.

Not that it meant much. While Dudley was showered with love and affection, not to mention numerous presents, Harry's birthdays had always been accompanied by grunts and annoyed looks, as though the day itself were an inconvenience to his relatives. Harry very much doubted they'd remember his birthday this year at all.

The loud thumping of heavy footsteps down the stairs signalled the end of Harry's moment of peace.

"Wake up cousin!" Dudley yelled, banging solidly against the cupboard door with a meaty, ham like hand. "I want breakfast!"

Harry sighed but he knew through long experience that the longer he waited the worse it was for him. And so he pulled himself upright and slipped out through the cupboard door and into the hallway.

It was unusual for Dudley to be so lively at this time in the morning; normally it was a chore to get him out of bed, which was the cause of many late arrivals at school. But today was a special day for Dudley; he had a football match to play.

When the school had first announced they would be hosting a summer football camp Harry had initially been very interested, but as soon as Dudley got wind of it Harry's enthusiasm died down. Nothing with Dudley was ever fun. Especially football.

"Morning Dudders," Uncle Vernon said cheerfully as he strolled into the kitchen. "All ready for the big match?" He threw an impatient look over to the stove, where Harry was hurriedly frying some bacon. Dudley, however, didn't answer. He was too busy stuffing two sausages into his mouth at once.

"That's the spirit," Vernon chuckled before opening up his newspaper and promptly disappearing behind it. All in all this was turning out to be a pretty normal run-of-the-mill Saturday and Harry fervently hoped it would remain just so.

And for the first few minutes it appeared as though it would as the three Dursley's ate Harry's specially prepared breakfast, and didn't even criticise him for it. Dudley boasted about the number of goals he was going to score while Vernon agreed heartily and Petunia looked on with pride, all the while Harry was cleaning the dishes. Nothing at all unusual seemed likely to happen.

A loud knock was heard at the door.

"What the hell!" Vernon shouted, remnants of his morning coffee staining his shirt as he started from the noise. "Who the blazes is banging on the door like that. Haven't they heard of using the doorbell!"

Uncle Vernon's grumbling continued all the way down the hallway and up until the instant he opened the door, when he stopped suddenly. As one the other three occupants of the kitchen turned their heads in the direction of the door, wondering what on earth could have silenced Vernon so suddenly.

Harry's mind reeled with possibilities. Was it the police, that would explain it. Or maybe it was Uncle Vernon's boss, though goodness knows why he'd come here.

Their suspicions were soon answered as the sound of something very large moved down the hallway, knocking into the small side table that held the keys with a rattle of clinking metal, and a huge, giant of a man popped his head through the kitchen doorway.

"There yeh all are," he said cheerfully, stooping down so that he could squeeze into the room, suddenly making it look much much smaller. "Sorry ter just drop in on yeh all like this jus' the guy at the door seems a bit shy." Behind the giant followed Uncle Vernon, looking distinctly small in comparison, with a face that reflected sheer bewilderment.

"Ah, breakfast," the unknown man said cheerfully, dropping down onto one of Aunt Petunia's antique chairs, which creaked dangerously. "Hmm, delicious," the man continued after a mouthful of bacon. "Hats off to the chef." Though he didn't know this man Harry still felt a small warmth growing in his cheeks at the compliment.

"Ah, and you must be Petunia, ain't yeh," the man said cheerfully, wiping his face roughly with a napkin. "Pleasure to meet yeh. An' this must be Dudley. I must say, you're a lot bigger than I was expecting." Dudley seemed too shell shocked to respond in any way. "An' here's Harry."

Harry looked away from Dudley in surprise and found himself staring into a pair of crinkling black eyes. "It's been a long time since I last saw yeh, you were only a baby." The man dabbed the corner of his eye with a napkin. "But now look at yeh, yeh're all grown up. Yeh look just like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mums eyes."

"You knew my parents?" Harry asked suddenly, aware that no one else had spoken a word since the man had walked in.

"That I did," the man nodded. "Great people they were Harry, great people. But of course," he smiled bashfully. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? The name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. I was there when yer parents were at school, too."

Harry gaped. "Hogwarts?" he questioned. "What's Hogwarts?"

Hagrid looked taken-aback. "Sorry Harry, didn't realise yeh might not know," he said ruefully. "Hogwarts School of Pokémon Training, that's it's full name. It teaches all the young kids everything they need to know in order to learn how to raise and care for Pokémon."

"I'm sorry, Pokémon?" Harry questioned. He had never heard of anything like that in his life.

Hagrid frowned before turning to Petunia. "You didn't tell 'im about Pokémon?" he asked, confused. It was then that Vernon finally found his voice.

"Out!" he ordered, though his voice wavered. "Out of my house now!"

"Now wait a minute," Hagrid said, getting to his feet and automatically causing Vernon to shrink back from him. "Are you telling me yeh haven't told Harry anythin' about Pokémon. What about all those letters McGonagall sent?"

"We burned them," Petunia answered, her face pale. She looked almost sick. "We do not want any of this. Just leave and take your unnatural creatures with you."

Hagrid looked positively stunned. "Well now, there's no need to be saying things like that," he waved his hands in what was sure to be an attempt at a peaceful gesture but which nearly sent Vernon flying into the wall. "Why don't we all talk about this properly, like mature adults, yeah."

"We made our decision," Vernon blustered. "We want nothing to do with you or your kind."

Harry was now seriously confused. "What are Pokémon?" he found himself asking and as one every head in the room turned to him. Hagrid let out a relieved sigh, clearly he thought he'd won.

"Yeh see here, Harry," he began, moving forward and retaking his seat so his head was closer to Harry's level. "Pokémon are creatures, yeah, but their very rare."

"Like tigers and lions?" Dudley said eagerly before being quickly hushed by his parents.

Hagrid chuckled. "Kinda like tigers and lions except different too." He ran a hand through his wild hair and sighed. "I'm really not the best person to be explaining things but 'ere goes. Pokémon are creatures that come in all shapes and sizes that can be caught by Pokémon trainers. Then they can be raised to be companions but also they can be used in Pokémon battles and contests. Here," Hagrid dug a hand into one of the pockets of his massive overcoat and pulled out a small sphere, half red, half white. Just as Harry went to get a closer look it appeared to open and suddenly his vision was completely obscured.

"Back Fang, back," Hagrid's voice permeated the sudden sensory deprivation and Harry was finally able to get a good look at the creature that had up until a moment ago been licking his face. It was a part black, part grey four legged creature and if Harry had to guess what it was he'd say it was a dog, although he'd never seen a dog like that.

"This here is Fang, my Mightyena," Hagrid said proudly, scratching the creature behind the ear, which it seemed to really enjoy. "Don't be scared, come pat 'im. He's a right old softy." Cautiously Harry did as instructed and quickly found out Hagrid had been right, Fang didn't seem to have a vicious bone in his body. In fact, the longer he patted the Mightyena the more it seemed like just a rather large dog.

"Pokémon come in all different shapes and sizes," Hagrid said, smiling down at Harry. "There are all sorts o' different types. Water types like to live in an' around lakes, grass types like the forest, and flying types are like the birds you get 'round here. Fang 'ere is a dark type. That means he's weak to Fighting, Bug and Fairy types but strong against Ghost and Psychic types."

"Fighting, Fairy, Psychic?" Harry repeated, unable to believe the words coming out of Hagrid's mouth. Hagrid nodded.

"There are eighteen types in all," Hagrid told him. "My favourite are Dragon types."

"Dragon types?" Harry stated in disbelief.

"Always wanted a Dragon type Pokémon," Hagrid said with a wistful expression on his face. "Ever since I was a kid. But Fang is great, and I 'ave my Ariados, Aragog, too."

"Ariados," Harry muttered under his breath in amazement.

"Stop it, stop it!" Uncle Vernon had found his voice again. "Stop with this crazy talk. We are not going to have a Pokémon trainer inside this house, I will not allow it. The boy will go to a nice, normal school and he will be grateful for it. There's no need for him to get all caught up in the stupid things that offed his parents."

Hagrid saw red. "What did you say!?" he bellowed, rising up and towering over Vernon. "Don't you dare insult Lily and James Potter in front of me. They were brave, good people, and they wanted this fer Harry. Harry's name's been down on the 'ogwarts register ever since he was born."

"Vernon," Aunt Petunia said softly. "If he is down on their register we may not have a choice," she told her husband.

"The only thing tha' matters," Hagrid continued, as though Petunia had never spoken. "Is what Harry wants. An' I think it's time he read his letter." From a pocket of his coat Hagrid pulled out a plain white envelope, the Dursley's address clearly displayed on the front with 'Mr H Potter' written clearly above.

Harry took it carefully, still not sure what to believe, and slipped the envelope open. Two pieces of paper came out, stapled neatly together, and Harry looked at the first page, his name and address clearly printed on the top corner next to a small crest, split into four quadrants and showing creatures Harry had never before seen. In the top left corner stood a regal dog-like Pokémon with reddish-brown fur, in the top right an intimidating serpentine creature. Below this was a blue four legged creature with horns and in the final quadrant a headless humanoid with patches of grass on its feet and shoulders. Below all this was a letter addressed to him.

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Pokémon Training. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Hagrid was watching Harry expectantly.

"What - yes, of course I want to learn about Pokémon," Harry said, amazed to think that anyone would ever turn down such an incredible offer. He felt excitement course through him at just the thought of learning about these mystical creatures he had never heard of before. "When do we start?"

Hagrid smiled.


	2. Diagon Alley

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Later that same day Harry and Hagrid found themselves wandering through London, having left the Dursley's far behind them. And Harry was loving every moment of it. He'd never had the chance to explore London before, the few times he'd come with the Dursley's he'd been hustled in and out of shops so fast he didn't even have the opportunity to look around. But as they strode briskly through the streets, Harry having to hurry just to keep up with Hagrid's massive strides, a question started to bug him and he found he couldn't quite shake it.

"Mr Hagrid?" he said, hurrying up alongside him.

Hagrid jumped in surprise. It seemed as though he had forgotten Harry was even there. "Don't you go calling me mister, Harry," he said cheerfully. "Just call me Hagrid, everyone does. What's the matter?"

Harry frowned. "I was wondering, why did Uncle Vernon react so badly at hearing I was going to Hogwarts?" he asked. Honestly the whole situation baffled him, he had been sure Vernon would relish the opportunity to get rid of him for a good portion of the year.

Hagrid sighed. "It's sad, to be honest," he told Harry. "See, Pokémon are so rare tha' most people never get the chance ter catch an' train 'em. There are some, like yer uncle, who think its unnatural to catch an' train Pokémon 'cause they're scared of 'em."

"Scared of them?" Harry asked. He agreed that Fang did look intimidating at first but it didn't take much effort to discover he was actually completely harmless.

"Yeah," Hagrid said sadly. "It's not really the Pokémon though, its really strong trainers. In the past there 'ave been a few trainers who 'ave felt they should 'ave the power ter control the world. They were defeated but most people can't face off against a Pokémon that's bein' ordered ter attack them."

"So they don't like it because they're worried about what bad people can do?" Harry summarised, wondering if it could really be so simple. He had many more questions he wanted answers for but he was cut off as Hagrid suddenly turned left and led him into a dark and rather seedy looking bar.

"Hagrid?" Harry whispered nervously. Hagrid gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, almost knocking him to the floor.

"Jus' wait 'til we get outside," he whispered, leading Harry through the various chairs and tables and giving a nod to the man behind the bar. With Hagrid's direction Harry soon found himself standing in a small paved courtyard, with seemingly no exit.

"Where now?" Harry asked. There was nothing but bins back here and Harry was starting to wonder whether Hagrid really knew where they were going. Hagrid however, just gave Harry a wink.

"Hold onto my hand, Harry," he told him, taking hold of Harry's much smaller hand in his shovel like one and pulling them both towards one of the walls. Harry was too surprised to react as he hurled head first for the solid stone and then…

"Wow," Harry muttered, eyes wide at the sight before him. The wall, if it had ever even existed in the first place, was gone. Instead he was standing at the end of a long alleyway, filled with shop after shop advertising various wares and merchandise. But that's not what caught Harry's attention the most. "Are those…?"

"Pokémon," Hagrid said proudly as they walked up the street. "Only the smaller ones, o' course. Bigger Pokémon tend ter only be seen in the country where there's not so many buildings ter worry abou'."

Harry was barely taking anything Hagrid was saying in. His head swivelled as he looked from left to right, staring at the various Pokémon that could be seen walking, flying or riding on their trainer's shoulders as they passed.

"This is amazing," Harry said breathlessly as he followed Hagrid on through the street and towards an enormous white marble building that seemed to dwarf all the other one and two story shops.

"Gringotts," Hagrid informed him. "Run by Kadabra and Alakazam. Incredibly intelligent Pokémon they are, I wouldn't insult 'em if I were you. And ter even think o' stealing from 'em…" the expression on Hagrid's face was enough to show Harry that that would be a bad idea.

It was only once they had entered Gringotts bank that Harry got his first glance of a Kadabra.

Harry had no doubt that what Hagrid said about their intelligence was true. Their beady eyes just shone with intelligence and they worked with a smooth finesse Harry had never seen from a human as they counted gold and weighed precious stones, all the while dealing with the various human customers milling about the chamber.

They were quickly shown to one of the Kadabra at the long golden counter that ran the whole length of the room, a simple plaque with the name Griphook etched in sitting before it.

"Hello there," Hagrid said genially. "Harry Potter would like ter make a withdrawal from his account." The Kadabra turned its attention to Harry.

 _Do you have your key_. The voice startled Harry, he hadn't realised that these Pokémon had the ability to speak too.

"No, sorry, I don't have my key," Harry said, suddenly feeling stupid.

"Hang on, I've got it 'ere somewhere," Hagrid jumped in, drawing Griphook's attention away from Harry. He then started to rummage through his pockets and started to pull out some rather random odds and ends which included, but were not limited to, a scarf, a half eaten sandwich, a few berries and two Pokéballs, as Hagrid had called them, one for Fang and the other, Harry assumed, was for Hagrid's Ariados, Aragog.

"Here we go," Hagrid said eventually, triumphantly holding a small bronze key in the air. "Should really think o' putting it on a ring," he muttered quietly to himself as Griphook inspected it. Seemingly satisfied Griphook handed it back and instead accepted a letter that Hagrid had clasped in his grip. "From Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid said with an air of importance. "It's abou' the you know what in Vault 713." Again Griphook examined the letter and then passed it back. He then suddenly jumped from his desk and walked away.

"This way Harry," Hagrid said, nudging Harry forward towards the end of the long desk where another door, one which Harry hadn't noticed before, sat waiting.

"Hagrid, can Kadabra talk?" Harry asked, feeling foolish. He could have sworn he heard Griphook speak to him but while dealing with Hagrid he had been totally silent.

"Uh, no, they can't," Hagrid answered. "Yeh see, Kadabra have highly powerful psychic abilities so instead they communicate through telepathy. It's like a voice in yer head, it takes a while to get used to. It can be quite a nuisance too."

"How come?" Harry asked.

"Well, they only communicate with one person at a time," Hagrid explained. "So when there are two of yeh someone is always frozen out and can't hear anythin'." They had reached the door and gone through to find Griphook waiting, standing next to what appeared to be a small mining cart. "In yeh get Harry," Hagrid told him and to Harry's surprise the giant plonked himself into the cart, taking up almost the entire thing.

"Hagrid, how does this work?" Harry asked after squeezing in beside him. However, before Hagrid could answer, the cart started moving, seemingly of its own accord, and soon they were rushing along the tracks through endless tunnels twisting and turning such that Harry had no idea which way was up and which down.

"Psychic!" Hagrid shouted over the rush of air. "It's a powerful psychic attack that allows Kadabra to control things with its mind." Hagrid was starting to look a little sick. "It wouldn't hurt to go a little slower though," he shouted to their driver. Whatever Griphook's response was it did not make Hagrid feel better.

Finally they came to a stop.

"Vault 687," Hagrid informed Harry as they climbed out. "Yer mum and dad left everything they had for yeh when yeh grew up, and it's all in 'ere."

Harry had never had money, the closest he got was when Aunt Petunia reluctantly trusted him with a few pounds to buy something from the shop. Therefore Harry was at a bit of a loss when his vault was opened and revealed piles of gold, silver and bronze.

"The gold ones are Galleons," Hagrid explained as he helped Harry pile coins into a small leather pouch. "Each Galleon is worth 17 Sickles, that's the silver ones, and each Sickle is worth 29 Knuts, the bronze ones. Yeh'll get it soon enough."

The ride to the next vault was thankfully much shorter, but much more mysterious. There wasn't much in Vault 713 that Harry could see, and Hagrid made more than a meal of making sure to block Harry's view as he stuffed a small package wrapped in unmarked brown paper into one of his many pockets. Harry asked what it was, but Hagrid simply shook his head and started talking about the weather.

Harry soon forgot about the mysterious package as they resurfaced from the tunnels and stepped back out into Diagon Alley. There was so much to do and so much to see that it was a good thing Hagrid was there to keep Harry from getting sidetracked. With the money they'd cleared from Harry's vault they succeeded in purchasing a trunk and a set of potion supplies from a very pungent shop named the Apothecary.

Flourish and Blotts, the book store, was a far more interesting affair and Hagrid had to drag Harry away from many interesting titles including 'Attacking and Counter-Attacking: A Guide to Pokémon Offence' and 'Apricorns: The Art of Pokéball Creation'. Still, Harry was happy with the books he did get like 'One Thousand Medicinal Herbs and Berries', 'A History of Pokémon' and 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.

Harry was just about to make his way into 'Madam Malkin's Trainer Gear' when Hagrid redirected him.

"Yeh'll be wanting ter go somewhere first," Hagrid told him with a mysterious wink, guiding him down the alley to a small, somewhat battered looking shop. Above the door appeared a fading sign with a single word upon it; 'Ollivander's'.

"Yeh'll be wanting ter do this bit on yer own," Hagrid advised him, to Harry's surprise. The giant had yet to leave Harry's side their entire trip. "This is somethin' special fer a new trainer, yeh'll be wantin' ter 'ave this experience on yer own."

Confused, but trusting Hagrid would not intentionally let him walk into danger, Harry stepped through the door. A bell chimed as he did so but other than that there was no sound.

"Hello," Harry said quietly. There didn't appear to be anyone else inside but at the same time it was so dark and dusty Harry couldn't really see far in any direction.

"Ah, of course," a tiny murmur of a voice drifted through the shop as a figure started to materialise out of the darkness. "Harry Potter. I've been expecting you."

A thin, wizened looking man loomed into view, his eyes misty and mysterious. He looked incredibly frail, as though a gust of win could blow him over. But in this room he looked powerful.

"You were not told what it is that I sell in this shop of mine," Ollivander noted interestedly, his eyes staring into Harry's. "It has been a long time since you were last part of the Pokémon world, but no matter…I will explain."

He walked off as he said this, perusing the shelves upon shelves filled with a mishmash of boxes and drawers, looking inside a few before moving on.

"It is tradition when a young trainer is about to go off to Hogwarts to come to me for their very first Pokémon." Harry felt a thrill of excitement at those words. He was actually getting a Pokémon, a real live Pokémon. "But you see, it is not simply a matter of choosing your partner from any number in my collection, oh no," Ollivander continued, not paying Harry any attention. "No, each Pokémon in here is destined for one specific trainer, and it is my job to match them." Suddenly Ollivander appeared before him and in his hand sat a Pokéball. "Let's see, how about we start with this one?"

Harry reached out his hand but as soon as his fingers touched the surface of the Pokéball it was whisked away.

"No, not that one," Ollivander muttered, and Harry had the feeling he was talking to himself rather than to Harry. "Hmm, how about this one?"

Again Harry reached out for the Pokéball and again it was swiped from his hand as soon as he touched it. "No, not that one either." And so started a trend. For fifteen, maybe twenty, minutes Harry tried Pokéball after Pokéball and each one was whipped from his grasp as soon as he touched it. The longer it took the more Harry yearned to just have a Pokémon and the more Ollivander seemed to come alive.

"Hmm," Ollivander said thoughtfully, standing by a particularly large drawer and rummaging through it. "Yes, why not, I really should have thought of it earlier." He turned to Harry. "I believe I may have it at last."

Harry wasn't convinced, this wasn't the first time Ollivander had gotten his hopes up, but he dutifully held out his hand. The Pokéball fell into his grasp and Harry let out a small gasp at how warm it was. It wasn't burning his hand but it was still much warmer than any of the others before it. Harry's fingers closed round the small sphere and instinctively, not knowing how he knew, he was confident he'd found his Pokémon.

"You feel it, don't you," Ollivander whispered and Harry looked up, startled to find him standing so close. "The connection between you and this Pokémon. Yes, you will go on to do great things, Harry Potter, of that I'm sure. Of course, we all expect great things from you."

Harry shuddered. There was something disconcerting about the way Ollivander was staring at him. Everything in the shop was deadly still and Harry dared not even breath for fear of breaking the quiet.

"And now, should we not see which Pokémon has been chosen?" Ollivander said suddenly, his voice taking on a more normal tone. Instantly the tension that had formed seemed to dissipate and Harry could breath a sigh of relief.

"Ok," Harry said, holding the Pokéball nervously. "Let's go." He took a breath and tossed the Pokéball into the air.

"Charmander!" The creature cried as it appeared before him, standing on Ollivander's old and unused desk. The Pokémon was small, no more than a couple of feet tall, it's skin was a dull orange and to top it all off a small flame burned on the end of it's tail.

"Charmander, a fire type Pokémon," Ollivander told him. "A fitting choice for a trainer with a fiery passion."

Harry didn't quite know what to make of that comment so he quietly paid Ollivander his fee and, with his new partner perched on his shoulder, stepped back into the sunlit alley.

"There yeh are Harry, yeh were in their for a while." Hagrid's huge form appeared as soon as Harry stepped outside, a large grin on his face. "Looks like yeh've found yourself there a Pokémon."

Harry smiled. "This is Charmander," Harry introduced.

"Well hello there Charmander," Hagrid said cheerfully, bending in towards the fire type. Intimidated by Hagrid's size Charmander slid back to hide behind Harry's shoulder.

"Don't worry Charmander," Harry said, smiling at his Pokémon's shyness. "This is Hagrid, he's a friend. He won't hurt you." Charmander looked unsure but nodded anyway and let Hagrid pet him. Soon enough he was smiling happily as Hagrid rubbed his head.

"What a lovely little guy," Hagrid said fondly, before seeming to remember something. "That reminds me, I got yeh a little birthday present while yeh were in there," Hagrid told him, his giant hands searching through his pockets.

"Oh, Hagrid you don't have to," Harry told him but Hagrid waved him away, nearly knocking over a startled old lady as he did so.

"Nonsense," Hagrid told him. "I'd like to get yeh a present, and this is something tha' I think every Pokémon trainer should 'ave. Here it is." He pulled out a small red device from one of his many pockets.

"What is it?" Harry asked interestedly, Hagrid's enthusiasm rubbing off on him. Charmander leaned in too.

"This Harry, is a Pokédex," Hagrid said proudly, holding up the object. "An electronic encyclopaedia with everything yeh'd ever need ter know abou' Pokémon. Let me show yeh how it works," he told Harry, turning the device to point at Charmander. There was a soft click and then a mechanic voice spoke.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon," the voice said. "The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely."

"Wow, that's amazing," Harry said in awe, looking at the Pokédex in a new light.

"Yeah, and that's not all, it's got loads of info on yer Pokémon," Hagrid said enthusiastically. "Let's see. Yer Charmander here is male and has the ability Blaze. The moves he knows at the moment are Scratch, Growl and Ember." Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh could spend all day with this thing," he chortled, handing it over to Harry. "Happy Birthday Harry."

Harry was walking on air as they continued on to their final stop in Diagon Alley, 'Madam Malkin's Trainer Gear'. It turned out the reason Hagrid took him to get his Pokémon first was because Madam Malkin specialised in customising her clothing supplies to reflect a trainers starter Pokémon. Upon leaving the shop Harry was quite a bit poorer but now owned a collection of shirts, shoes, trousers and jackets, which he immediately put on over Dudley's hand me downs, decorated with small trims of delicate flames and in some cases figures of Charmander himself. The whole experience had Harry glowing with joy.

Unfortunately the day could not last forever and sooner than Harry would have liked he was making his way back to the Dursley's. Disembarking the local train Harry and Hagrid started the short walk back to Privet Drive.

"Yeh should keep yer Pokémon in their Pokéballs in public," Hagrid advised him. Charmander had gotten tired after riding on Harry's shoulder for so long and was now resting peacefully in his Pokéball. "It would make a lot o' people uncomfortable if they saw Charmander wandering abou'."

Harry frowned. "Why though?" he asked. Charmander was so small and cute he couldn't imagine anyone being threatened by him.

"Yeh know why," Hagrid answered. "I told yeh. They're scared. Scared o' what they can't control, scared o' what they don't understand." Hagrid shook his head. "I feel bad fer them, I really do."

Harry fell silent at that, remembering the way the Dursley's had all looked at Fang in fear earlier that morning. He was sure that Hagrid was right but it was still so hard to understand how it could be true. Unbidden Ollivander's words sprung to mind.

"Hagrid," Harry spoke again. They were now over half way there. "Hagrid, there was something Mr Ollivander said that I don't quite understand."

Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh wouldn't be the first," he smiled. "Mysterious guy he is, but he takes good care of those Pokémon so he's alright in my book."

Harry nodded but his question still wasn't settled. "Mr Ollivander said that he expected great things from me." Hagrid beamed. "But the way he said it… it made it seem as though everyone's expecting great things from me. But I've never even met another Pokémon trainer before you, Hagrid."

Hagrid's grin had vanished and now a troubled look fell across his face. "That's a tough one Harry," he said, his voice low and rough, surprising Harry with his seriousness. "It's a bad story and… well I suppose yeh should here it. Better now than when yer at Hogwarts."

Hagrid wandered over to a park bench and sat down, patting the space beside him. Warily, Harry sat down next to him.

"Do you remember 'bout how I said bad trainers are why the others fear Pokémon?" Hagrid asked. Harry nodded. "Well there's one trainer who went… bad, as bad as yeh could possibly go. He believed that he should rule the world and gathered people ter support him. He was winning too, he was just so powerful."

Hagrid let out a long sigh.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, he'll be in charge at Hogwarts, he created a group ter fight this man. I was part of it and so were yer parents. It was called the Legion of Ho-oh."

"Legion of Ho-oh," Harry repeated in wonder. Hagrid nodded.

"Some o' the best and bravest trainers joined up ter try and defeat… you-know-who," Harry felt a chill as Hagrid visibly shuddered next to him. "We fought 'em every way we could, but we were losing. And then we heard he was targeting yer mum and dad."

Harry felt his blood run cold. All of a sudden goosebumps were spreading up his arms and the wind seemed to pick up and howl in his ears.

"Yeh were just a baby at the time so Lily and James went into hidin'," Hagrid told him. "But he… you-know-who, he found 'em. He went to yer house and killed yer dad, and then went after yer mum. But she was clever, see. She used her Electrode, that's an Electric type, yeh see, and called fer its most powerful move, Explosion. Electrode died, Lily died, you-know-who died. The only survivor was you Harry."

Hagrid sniffed loudly and looking up Harry realised he was crying.

"See, that's why people know who yeh are, Harry. You're the boy-who-lived."

"The Boy Who Lived," Harry repeated. It felt weird, like words of a foreign language.

Hagrid sniffed. "Don't yeh be worrying about it," he said gruffly, rising to his feet and turning to Harry. "All that's in the past Harry. And now yeh'll go ter Hogwarts, and yeh'll learn, and yeh'll make new friends just like yer parents always wanted yeh ter do." Hagrid gave Harry a watery smile. "They'd be right proud of you, yeh know."

They made the rest of the trip in thoughtful silence, Harry puzzling over everything Hagrid had just told him. At some point along the way Hagrid started to whistle.

They parted ways at the door to number four with Hagrid saying he needed to get back up to Hogwarts, patting the pocket where he had slipped the mysterious package from Vault 713 that morning, before Harry reentered the Dursley's home.

"Came back did you," was Uncle Vernon's response to his arrival but other than that the Dursley's more or less pretended like Harry wasn't there, allowing him to stuff his trunk, filled with new supplies, into the cupboard under the stairs. After dinner, which Petunia made into a lavish feast in celebration of Dudley's 'golden goal', Harry returned to his cupboard and released his Pokémon.

"Char?" Charmander looked around questioningly in the small space he'd been released in.

"Hey Charmander," Harry said, smiling as the Pokémon beamed up at him. "I just wanted to let you get some air, it can't be nice stuck in your Pokéball all the time." Harry glanced around the cupboard; he knew the feeling.

"This is where we're going to be staying for a bit," Harry told Charmander, who looked doubtful. "But don't worry, soon we'll be at Hogwarts and we'll see lots of other people and Pokémon and you can be out whenever you want."

"Charmander," Charmander said happily, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Yes, well let's get some rest," Harry said, smiling at Charmander's energy. "We've got a long month ahead."


	3. The Hogwarts Express

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

A month passed by quickly. Maybe it was because the Dursley's had now taken to ignoring Harry whenever he was in the room or maybe it was because Harry spent more and more of his days locked up in his cupboard with Charmander but Harry felt that life at the Dursley's hadn't been all that bad. Of course he was still glad to be going but at the very least he would miss the long nights spent talking to his Charmander about whatever sprung to mind.

They were in the car, on their way to Kings Cross Station, Harry sitting in the backseat with Dudley whilst Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia made heavily stilted conversation up front.

Harry was surprised Uncle Vernon had agreed to take him to get his train to Hogwarts, even if Vernon assured him they had to go into town to get Dudley's new school uniform or they wouldn't bother; Dudley had grown too big for the regular sizes and now required special outfitters.

Harry did however believe that Vernon had come to the decision that it was better that Harry was going off to Hogwarts rather than bothering him every day, even if going to Hogwarts would make Harry happy, which was something Uncle Vernon was entirely against.

"Alright, get your trunk and hurry up," Vernon said shortly as they pulled into a disabled parking space by the station. Harry hurried to do as directed, not wanting to do anything to cause his uncle to lose the small veneer of civility he had. Vernon for his part got Harry a trolley and even went as far as to push it for him. Then he stopped.

"What platform are you on?" he asked. Harry hurriedly checked his ticket, although he had it memorised already.

"Platform nine and three quarters," Harry answered honestly, looking up at his uncle. Vernon Dursley's face started to grow red, his moustache quivering and the vein in his temple throbbing, all signs of danger.

"Well then," Vernon said, clearly focusing a great deal of energy into keeping his composure. "There's platform nine," he said, pointing to a waiting train. "I'd think you'd want to check in that direction." And then he walked off muttering under his breath, 'Platform nine and three quarters'.

Harry could see the problem, and with that he realised in what a terrible situation he was in. He trusted Hagrid, knew that there must be a platform nine and three quarters and that Pokémon did exist, he'd seen them with his own eyes. But now he was here he had no idea where to look and didn't think it was a good idea to start asking people randomly, based on Uncle Vernon's reaction. That was when a large group of people crossed his path and he heard a snatch of their conversation.

"Oh George, put that Kecleon away, you know your not supposed to have your Pokémon out."

Harry's head snapped up and found the speaker, a plump looking woman with a mane of red hair surrounded by what looked to be her children, all similarly redheaded, and admonishing one of them who was pushing a trolley carrying a number of trunks. And on top of that was… a Pokémon.

"It's not _my_ Kecleon," the boy named George replied with a despairing sigh. "And I'm not George, I'm Fred. Seriously woman, you call yourself our mother?"

The woman sighed. "Sorry Fred but please don't mess around you two, we don't want another incident like last year." The boy grinned and turned to the boy next to him who was wearing an identical expression on his face. In fact, his face was identical, right down to the last freckle.

"Don't worry about it mum," said the clone, pulling out a Pokéball and returning the offending Pokémon. "We wouldn't do that… not two years in a row, at least." His twin laughed.

"Oh, and," said the first one. "I was only joking, I am George." And with that the twins ran off, laughing hysterically and drawing more than a few looks.

"Oh, those two," the mother sighed, taking hold of her young daughter's hand and gesturing for the other two, a tall boy in horn rimmed glasses and another boy about Harry's age with a smudge of dirt on his nose, to follow.

Quickly Harry took control of his trolley, determined not to lose them in the crowded station. It was quite easy, in all honesty, the red hair that seemed a trait for the whole family stood out like wildfire. Eventually the mother and her children came to a stop and Harry, a few feet behind them, stopped too.

"Looks like they've already gone through," the mother mused. "All for the best really. Alright Percy, on you pop, we're cutting it a little fine."

The eldest boy, Percy, confidently strode forward at his mothers beckoning and Harry watched carefully as he kept walking and then… he vanished.

Harry looked around wildly on the platform, sure that someone else must have noticed the boy simply vanish from sight, but nobody was giving them a second glance and what's more the mother seemed completely untroubled.

"Okay Ron, you next," she was saying when Harry decided to try his luck.

"Excuse me," he said, closing the last few meters between them and getting the attention of the red heads. "Are you going to Hogwarts?" For a moment he had the horrible thought that he'd been wrong all along, before the woman smiled at him.

"Yes, it's my son Ron's very first year," she said, clearly proud of the boy who looked like he could care less and was longingly staring in the other direction. "Are you starting this year too?"

"Uh, yes," Harry said. "I was just wondering…"

"How to get onto the platform," the woman finished for him with a knowing smile. "Don't you worry, the rest of my boys have been going to Hogwarts for years, I've helped many a lost soul find the platform." Harry felt a huge swell of relief rush through him. "I'm Molly Weasley, and this is my son Ron and my daughter Ginny. My other sons have already gone ahead but I'm sure you'll meet them soon, they are quite, uh, infamous." The girl, Ginny, giggled, causing her mother to frown at her.

"I'm Harry," Harry introduced himself. "I'm sorry for barging up like this but I saw your Kecleon and, well, I was a bit desperate."

Mrs Weasley smiled. "No need to be sorry, I'm always happy to help," she said warmly. "Now, how to get to the platform? Well, it's very easy but also rather unusual." She gestured for Harry to step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder as she pointed to one of the barriers between platforms nine and ten. "You see that barrier? Well, it's not actually a barrier. It's a mirage. I don't know exactly how it works but if you walk straight through that barrier you'll get to platform nine and three quarters."

Harry wasn't convinced.

"Why doesn't Ron go first," Mrs Weasley suggested, looking to her youngest son. Ron seemed happy to finally be moving and, without hesitation walked right up to the barrier… and disappeared. "See, it's very simple really. Why not give it a try?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

"Good luck," Ginny wished him as Harry took a firm grip on the handlebars and gave a push, starting off towards the barrier. Closer and closer it came and it didn't seem to be getting any less solid. Feeling sweat loosening his grip he picked up the speed, his heart pounding and his head spinning. He was getting so close now and suddenly he realised that he couldn't stop. He closed his eyes.

And nothing. He opened his eyes and came to an abrupt halt as he took in the scene before him.

He didn't know how he had done it but suddenly he was standing on a brand new platform, a platform packed with people and, more importantly, Pokémon. It was just like in Diagon Alley; there were big Pokémon and small ones, some he vaguely recognised and some that were just astoundingly unusual. They were moving and shouting and squawking in a great see of sights, sounds and smells and sitting next to this cacophony was a great scarlet steam engine with the name carved in magnificent gold along the side; The Hogwarts Express.

Getting on the train was Harry's first challenge and it was far from an easy one. Moving along the platform proved to be nearly impossible and Harry ended up apologising at least half a dozen times for running over someones feet. Even when he got to the train lifting his heavy trunk up the steps wasn't any easier. Fortunately help came in two very familiar looking sights.

"Hey there, need a hand?" the red haired twin asked cheerfully, his completely identical brother following in his footsteps.

"Yes please," Harry replied. By now he'd been trying for quite some time and was panting heavily.

"No problem, hey, George, come give this poor kid a hand." The second twin, George, easily took Harry's place and within moments Harry's trunk was safely inside the carriage.

"Thanks, you really helped me out," Harry told them, still panting.

"No problem," said the twin who'd offered to help, which Harry supposed meant he must be Fred. "Always nice to help a firstie' out when we can, except the Slytherin's obviously." He shared a wicked grin with his twin. "Fred and George Weasley, resident pranksters of Gryffindor Tower." He introduced himself with a mock bow.

"I'm Harry," Harry introduced. "And thanks again. I actually met your mother outside, she helped me find my way onto the platform."

"That's mum," Fred agreed with a grin.

"Fred, George, come over here!" a distant voice called through the air.

"And speaking of mum," George said glancing out the train door. "We should probably head off. See you around, Harry. Hope to see you in Gryffindor." And with that the Weasley twins jumped out of the carriage and sauntered over to where there mother was looking quite frustrated.

Harry meanwhile made his way through the carriage until he found himself a free compartment and, not able to lift it onto the luggage rack, he dropped his trunk at his feet.

"Come on out, Charmander," Harry said, opening up the Pokéball. Charmander materialised before him and gave a big stretch before looking up at him. "Here we are," Harry said, his voice laced with excitement. "On the Hogwarts Express. We just need to ride this train for a few hours and then we'll be there, Hogwarts." Harry smiled as Charmander jumped about excitedly. "Look out the window," Harry told him, gesturing outside as Charmander hopped up into his lap to see. "Look at all those Pokémon."

"Char," Charmander said in agreement, looking amazed.

"And Hagrid said there will be even more at Hogwarts," Harry continued. "It's going to be great Char, I know it."

The Hogwarts Express set off as the clock struck eleven and soon they had left the city behind and were making their way through the sprawling english countryside. Charmander had grown tired of the view after a while and had curled up in Harry's lap for a nap, something that put a smile on Harry's face. All was quiet in the compartment until the door slid open.

"Uh, hi, sorry," it was the youngest red head, Ron, looking really sheepish as he stuck his head in. "Can I sit here, everywhere else is full?"

"Sure," Harry said, gesturing to the seat across from him. Ron gave him a grateful smile.

"Wait a minute," he said suddenly. "I recognise you, your that kid that asked mum for directions."

"Harry," Harry supplied.

Ron grinned. "Ron Weasley, pleased to meet you," he said boldly, holding out his hand.

"Harry Potter," Harry replied with a smile, shaking it. Ron frowned for a moment, thinking, before his eyes widened in shock.

"No way," he said, sitting back in his seat. "You're Harry Potter?!"

"Yeah," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably. He supposed this was what Hagrid had been warning him about.

Ron looked stunned. "Gosh," he said before grinning. "Blimey, I didn't even think you were real. I thought you were just a story made up for kids."

Harry flushed. "No, I'm just… Harry," he said lamely. He couldn't believe stories had been made about him.

"Cool," Ron said cheerfully. "Hey, is that your Charmander," he added, noticing the sleeping fire type. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, he is," Harry said with a grin. He was starting to like Ron, he was just that sort of friendly guy you couldn't help but get along with. "What Pokémon do you have?"

Ron's face lit up and Harry had the impression that he was very proud of his Pokémon. "Have a look," he said, holding out a Pokéball. In a flash a small four legged creature appeared, covered in orange fur with black stripes. Harry quickly fished out his Pokédex.

"Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Growlithe has a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this Pokémon won't forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things."

"Is that a Pokédex?" Ron asked, looking at the device curiously.

"Yeah, it's really useful," Harry said, nudging Charmander awake. "Hey Char, why don't you go meet Growlithe?" Charmander opened its eyes groggily and nodded, climbing down to greet the new Pokémon on the floor.

"Yeah, it is, I really wanted one myself," Ron said. "But… well, my family don't really have much money, not with seven of us and all." He flushed embarrassedly.

"Hey, you can borrow mine whenever you want," Harry offered.

"Really?" Ron perked up.

"Really," Harry agreed, glad to be able to share this with his new friend. "Why don't you use it on Charmander," he suggested, passing the Pokédex over to Ron who eagerly received it. Meanwhile Harry took the time to look at Growlithe, admiring it as both Charmander and Growlithe hit it off.

"So Growlithe was the Pokémon you got from Mr Ollivander?" Harry asked, drawing Ron's attention from the Pokédex.

"Yeah," Ron said. "I've got another Pokémon but…" he shrugged. "It's not great."

"Can I see it?" Harry asked excitedly, eager to see more Pokémon.

"Yeah, sure," Ron replied, pulling out another Pokéball. From inside appeared a small purple rat. It was fast asleep.

"He's a Rattata," Ron explained unenthusiastically, giving the Pokémon an experimental nudge. "His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he's always sleeping. I mean always. He's been passed down my family for years now and I've never seen him do anything useful." He poked it again.

"Hm," Harry said thoughtfully. He supposed not all Pokémon could be interesting like Charmander and Growlithe but still, maybe if he used the Pokédex on Scabbers he might find something interesting. At that moment the door slid open.

"How touching," a drawl sounded from the doorway as Harry, Ron and the two awake Pokémon turned to look. "A playdate." The speaker was a pale boy with perfectly parted blonde hair and a sneer on his face.

"I've been hearing all down the train that Harry Potter is on his way to Hogwarts," the boy drawled, his eyes scanning over Ron before focusing on Harry. "It wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

Harry blinked. "Yeah," he said uncertainly. The boy was giving him weird vibes. "That's me."

A smile curved the boys lips. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said smoothly. "My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. And this here," he gestured to his feet where, unnoticed a small green Pokémon had appeared. "is my partner, Snivy."

"Okay, well, I'm Harry," Harry replied, not really sure how to reply to this strange boy. "And this is my Charmander. And this is Ron Weasley and his Growlithe and Rattata." The sneer on Malfoy's face grew.

"I am aware of that," he drawled, throwing Ron a disparaging look which caused Ron to go red in the face. "How could I miss the red hair and hand me down clothes." Ron was looking close to boiling point. "I certainly didn't come here for him."

"Then what are you here for?" Harry asked warily.

"Why, I wanted to help you," Malfoy said, almost seeming surprised Harry had to ask. "I'd heard you grew up with muggles and wanted to let you know that I'm more than willing to help you reintegrate with the trainer community."

"Well, thanks," Harry told him. "But I think I'm doing just fine by myself at the moment so if you don't mind…" The look on Malfoy's face soured.

"Suit yourself," he replied. "But I'd warn you Potter, siding with the likes of Weasley isn't going to get you anywhere in this world. You'd do well to consider my offer, for I won't always be so generous." He turned away. "Come Snivy."

"What a jerk!" Ron burst out as Snivy strutted out after her trainer and Harry closed the door behind them. "Where does he get off saying those things! Who does he think he is?!"

"Draco Malfoy, apparently," Harry answered dryly.

"Draco Shithead's more like it," Ron answered savagely before turning serious. "You need to be careful with him," he warned. "My dad told me about the Malfoy's, they were followers of You-know-who."

Harry blinked. "They were?" he asked, shocked.

Ron nodded. "When he fell they tried to claim they were coerced," Ron said. "They were found innocent by the Ministry but dad says that a lot of money changed hands to get them off. They've always had it out for us too. They think they're so great cause they're rich and that we're scum cause we're… well…" He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

Desperate to change the topic Harry posed a question. "Are all your family at Hogwarts?" he asked, trying to sound extra interested. It worked though. For the next hour Ron told him all about his family, including the two Weasley brothers Harry hadn't seen, Bill and Charlie. Bill was an archeologist that worked on the payroll of Gringotts bank to search for precious stones. Charlie meanwhile worked at a reserve for dragon type Pokémon in Romania, which was really cool according to Ron who said that his favourite holiday ever was when they got to visit the reserve.

Talking about his eldest brothers seemed to have calmed Ron down again for he was right back to normal by the time the door opened again.

"Excuse me, have either of you seen a Croagunk anywhere?" A girl with a lot of bushy hair and some surprisingly large front teeth stepped into the compartment, followed closely by a timid looking boy who, it would appear, was the owner of the missing Croagunk.

"No, we haven't," Ron answered for them.

"What does Croagunk look like?" Harry asked, trying to be helpful. After all the boy looked miserable.

"Here," Ron told him, passing back the Pokédex. On the screen was a picture of a frog like Pokémon and beneath was some information about them.

"Is that a Pokédex?" the girl asked in an excited voice. "I was thinking of getting one, they can be so useful. Of course I've been reading everything I can so I can be ready for Hogwarts but it's always nice to have extra source material on hand."

"Sorry, who are you?" Ron asked, rather bluntly. The girl humphed.

"Hermione Granger," she answered, sticking her nose in the air. "And this here is Neville Longbottom. I've been trying to help him find his Croagunk, it went missing after he boarded the train."

"The Pokédex says that Croagunk are usually found in marshlands," Harry said, looking up at the visitors. "Have you tried searching the toilets?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. "You know that's a great idea," she said excitedly. "Come on Neville, let's go." And with that she was out the door, dragging Neville with her, and Harry and Ron were alone again.

"Barmy that girl is," Ron said. "A Ravenclaw for sure."

"Where do you want to be sorted?" Harry asked, interested. He didn't know much about the sorting, only that there were four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

"Gryffindor, of course," Ron answered immediately. "The house of the brave. My whole family has been sorted into Gryffindor as far as I can remember. I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be the worst, but that's for smart people. If Percy didn't get in there then I certainly won't."

"What about the other two?" Harry asked.

"Hufflepuff's alright," Ron said with a shrug. "They stand for loyalty and hard work, which I guess is cool. Thing is though that everyone thinks Hufflepuff's are push overs, they never seem to do well at anything like the other houses do. Still, better Hufflepuff than Slytherin." Ron scowled at the door. "I bet you Malfoy will be a Slytherin."

"Fred and George didn't seem too fond of Slytherin's either," Harry mentioned, remembering the throwaway comment as they helped him lift his trunk onto the train.

"You-know-who was a Slytherin," Ron said darkly. "And all his supporters were from Slytherin too. Well, not all of them but his inner circle certainly. People like Lucius Malfoy, and he's one of the sane ones. The others all went to Azkaban, that's our jail. Dad says its pretty much the worst place on earth." Harry shuddered. Even the name sounded horrid.

The rest of the train journey went by in happier spirits. As the sky started to get dark outside the compartment window Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom returned, having found Neville's wayward Croagunk. After being thanked for his advice Harry asked them to stay and, with the promise to keep the door closed to stop Croagunk escaping, let out their Pokémon.

As it turned out Croagunk wasn't actually Neville's starter Pokémon, he had a Bulbasaur instead. As Neville told it Croagunk, who's name was actually Trevor, was a gift from his Great Uncle Algie, who was quite senile, and had been disappearing at odd moments for as long as he had him.

Hermione on the other hand had a Hoot-hoot, a normal and flying type that stood continuously on one leg and, according to the Pokédex, hooted at the exact same time everyday. Ron wasn't particularly impressed but Hermione was enraptured and Ron openly admitted he wasn't one to judge since Scabbers remained firmly asleep the entire trip.

Soon enough the train stopped and the four of them disembarked, leaving behind their trunks as instructed. It was dark on the platform and a thin drizzle sprinkled them as they searched for where they were supposed to go.

"Over there," Harry pointed to the others, finding Hagrid's towering figure in the sea of students.

"Alrigh' there Harry," Hagrid said cheerfully, seemingly untroubled by the weather. "Seems like yeh've got yerself some new friends there already. Alright. First Years! First Years, Follow me!"

Hagrid's giant form parted the crowd and the huddle of nervous and excited first years followed after him until eventually they had left the crowd behind and were travelling along a pitch black path.

"Careful Neville," Ron muttered, catching the boy as he slipped in some unseen mud. It was so dark they could barely see anything of their surroundings, all they had was the light of Hagrid's lanturn to guide them and the faint rustle to tell them there were trees all around them. They continued on for about a minute and then turned… to a magnificent sight.

Hogwarts castle stood majestically above them, its turrets and towers sparkling in the light of many torches lit up around the entrance. From where they were the path opened up onto a great black lake, and moored on the banks of the lake were a number of rickety old rowing boats, each pulled by a breathtakingly beautiful Pokémon.

"Those are Lapras," Ron whispered in wonder.

"They're beautiful," Hermione murmured. All around there were similar sounds as the Lapras pale blue skin sparkled in the light of a full moon.

"Alright everyone," Hagrid called, clambering into one of the boats. "Everyone get in, no more than four trainers to a boat, yeh hear."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville clambered into one of the nearby boats and the Lapras tied to it turned its head to look at them and gave a friendly call.

"This is amazing," Hermione murmured. She, like Harry, had never known of the Pokémon world until just a few months ago, but even the more experienced Ron and Neville were completely in awe.

"Hold on tight, Charmander," Harry warned the fire type as the Lapras fleet set off silently across the water. In the distance Hogwarts grew closer and closer as the Lapras approached the rock face and Harry was starting to wonder how they were going to scale it when a fissure appeared and the Lapras easily guided them through and into an underground harbour.

"Hey, anyone missin' a Croagunk?" Hagrid called, having been checking the boats as people were leaving.

"Trevor," Neville squeaked in surprise, obviously having completely forgotten about the odd Pokémon, quickly returning it so it couldn't go wandering off again. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Malfoy muttering with a couple of large, thuggish looking boys, all the while smirking in Neville's direction. His dislike for the boy was growing.

The group of new students followed Hagrid from the underground harbour and up a flight of stone steps that seemed to be carved from the cave wall itself, that all led up to a large wooden door. Hagrid raised his hand and knocked, three times.


	4. The Sorting Xatu

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Within a moment it was answered. A tall, severe looking woman looked down upon them, which for Hagrid was an impressive feet, and raised an eyebrow.

"New students, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid introduced, stepping through the door and inside the castle proper.

"Thank you Hagrid," Professor McGonagall spoke, her voice crisp and professional. "I will take them from here. Students, follow me."

She strode off without so much as a backwards glance and the new students hurried to follow her, none of them wanting to be left behind. They walked up a flight of stairs, then another, until finally they found themselves in a grand hall, a set of magnificent oak doors standing open to one side revealing the exit to the torchlit grounds outside. From here McGonagall took them through a small wooden door, which Harry had not noticed, which led to what appeared to be a small, disused classroom.

McGonagall waited a moment to allow everyone to file in before speaking, her very presence demanding silence. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Before you can begin your education in this fine institution you must first partake in a very important ceremony. You must be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony for while you are at Hogwarts your house will be like your family, doing well will win your house points whilst any rule breaking will lose your house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. Each house, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, value different qualities and each house has produced many fine trainers. I hope each of you will be a credit to whatever house becomes yours." She looked over the crowd. "The sorting ceremony will begin soon, I shall come for you when the time is right. In the meantime I'd advise all of you to smarten yourselves up before you show yourself to the rest of the school."

She left at that and the whole room immediately burst to life with excited muttering.

"How do you think they'll sort us?" Harry asked. Hagrid hadn't said anything about the sorting ceremony and now that he knew he had to do it in front of the whole school he wished he'd pressed the matter.

"I don't know," Ron said, looking quite sick all of a sudden. "Maybe a Pokémon battle?"

"Maybe there'll be a quiz," Hermione suggested, although contrary to the rest of them she seemed excited by the prospect. "I just wish I'd spent more time on the train studying, I'm still hopelessly underprepared for grass types." Neville looked positively terrified.

Similar discussions seemed to be bursting out throughout the room and Harry was quite pleased to note that Malfoy's unusually pale face seemed even paler than usual.

"Quiet!" McGonagall was back. "Form a line and follow me." They did as instructed and queued up, Harry finding himself in front of Hermione, who was whispering to herself about type advantages, and behind Ron, who could clearly hear Hermione too and was growing more and more irritated. However when the great oak doors to the Great Hall were opened even Hermione went quiet.

The room was enormous, and that was only emphasised by the fact that every eye in the room was turned to them. There were four long tables, stretching out from the doors, filled with students, one table for each house, and at the other end stood another long table. That was where the staff sat.

The new first years were led up between the middle two tables and stopped, just short of the staff table. Before this table sat a rickety old three-legged stool, and on top of the stool stood a motionless, intimidating Pokémon.

"The sorting ceremony is about to commence," Professor McGonagall announced, her voice echoing throughout the hall. "I will call out your names and when I do you are to stand before the Sorting Xatu. The Sorting Xatu will indicate which house you belong and you will join your new house mates at his direction. Abbott, Hannah."

A blonde girl with pigtails stepped forward, incredibly nervous, and faced the sorting Xatu. The Pokémon, Xatu, stared unnervingly at the poor girl, never blinking, before slowly turning on its stool and bowing to one of the house tables. The students there burst into applause and young Hannah Abbott joined her new house in relief.

And that started the pattern as one by one new students would stand before the Sorting Xatu and would, after a few seconds of silent unflinching consideration, be sorted into one of the four houses.

The first name of interest to Harry was 'Granger, Hermione', causing the excited young girl to squeak when her name was read out. The Sorting Xatu appeared to take slightly longer sorting her but eventually it bowed deeply to one of the tables and applause erupted. Ron groaned.

"That's Gryffindor," he moaned quietly to Harry and, sure enough, Harry could spy both Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor Prefect, and the twins Fred and George, who were among the most enthusiastic of cheerers.

Neville was one of the next ones up and, to his surprise as much as anybody else's, he was sorted into Gryffindor too. He hurried to the Gryffindor table so quickly, relieved as he was, that he nearly tripped, and stumbled to his table, causing a ripple of laughter to spread around the room.

But Harry didn't have time to think about that, his name was coming up soon. But before it did Draco Malfoy took the test and, while the Sorting Xatu seemed to unnerve him just like everyone else, he was quickly sorted and, due to the smug look on his face, Harry was sure he'd gotten into Slytherin.

Harry knew his name was coming soon though and with every new student sorted he expected his name to be next. Pansy Parkinson was sorted into Slytherin and then Patil twins came and went, only to be followed by 'Perks, Sally-Anne' until…

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry felt all eyes in the hall turn to him as he stepped forward. Was it just him or were they even quieter than before? He could almost feel the anticipation in the room. It made him shudder. He stood before the Sorting Xatu, and waited.

 _Harry Potter, interesting,_ a voice spoke inside Harry's head and he stiffened.

 _Don't be alarmed,_ the voice continued. _You are quite safe here. I mean no harm._ Harry looked forward and his eyes met that of the Sorting Xatu. Could it be?

 _Yes_ , the voice answered his unasked question. _Telepathy, much like the Kadabra of Gringotts. I too am a Psychic type Pokémon and an old one at that. I've had much time to hone my craft._ Harry stared at Xatu and wondered what was going on.

 _Forgive me,_ the voice stated. _But I am at an impasse. You see, my job here is to sort students into houses. I look into their future and decide which house is best for them. However, the future is not certain and many different paths can lead to the same result._

The Sorting Xatu seemed to take a moment to think. _There are two paths I see for you, Harry Potter,_ Xatu told him. _Each leads you to success in their own way, one through Gryffindor, and the other through Slytherin. I can not say which path would be best for you, and so I leave that up to you._

Harry blinked. Well, You-know-who was a Slytherin.

 _True, but that is to generalise,_ Xatu spoke up again. _Not all Slytherin's are bad, and not all Gryffindor's are good. It is not through good or evil that I make my decisions, even I cannot see that._

Harry thought on those words. They made sense, yet so far Harry's experience had been contradictory to that logic. The Malfoy's, at least Draco, seemed like terrible people. Meanwhile on the other hand you had the Weasley's, Gryffindors forever, that had helped him not once, but twice already in the short time he'd known them.

 _I see you are not to be swayed,_ Xatu spoke. Harry wondered whether he was disappointed in him or not. _And I shall abide by your choice,_ Xatu continued. _I sort you into… Gryffindor._

Xatu turned slowly, ever so slowly on his stool, before bowing deeply to the Gryffindor table. Applause erupted and Harry let out a sigh of relief as he nearly staggered over to where Hermione and Neville were already seated, barely conscious that the cheers just kept going on and on or that the Weasley twins had started a chant of "We got Potter! We got Potter!". He was just glad to be sorted, and not be in Slytherin.

The sorting eventually continued after Professor McGonagall levelled a stern glare at the cheering Gryffindors and Harry got to enjoy it with a much lighter heart as the crowd behind Professor McGonagall steadily became smaller and smaller. Finally it was Ron's turn. He needn't have worried. Within moments of appearing before the Sorting Xatu Ron was making his way over to the others with a broad grin on his face.

Congratulating Ron with everybody else Harry's attention was broken by the man at the head of the table standing up. He was old, incredibly old, but he held himself with the grace and poise of a much younger man. He held out a Pokéball, one like Harry had never seen before, and returned the Sorting Xatu while Professor McGonagall removed the three-legged stool. Then, he spoke.

"Welcome," he said grandly, holding out his arms as if to encompass the entire hall. "Welcome trainers, young and old, new or returning, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin, welcome. For those of you who are new to our humble school I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. To those same new students I will also say that I am not keen on giving speeches before our feast, so let the feast begin!"

As he said that doors from around the hall burst open and a veritable army of Pokémon walked in. There were bird Pokémon carrying baskets from the ceiling, bipedal Pokémon walking around like waiters, quadrupedal Pokémon action as dinner trolleys. Everywhere there was food and Pokémon and Harry couldn't help but feel a grin come to his face.

The food was delicious too.

Yet it had to come to an end at some point and, at that point, Dumbledore stood up once more. He beamed at the students. "Excellent, now that we've all had a chance to fill ourselves to our hearts content we can move on to a few start of term notices and then after that, bed." He smiled.

"First off I would like to welcome back Professor Quirrel, our former Science teacher here at Hogwarts," there was a polite round of applause, mostly centred around the students that remembered his teaching before. "He has now agreed to rejoin us after a few years travelling as our new Pokémon Battle Professor." Dumbledore smiled at Professor Quirrel who gave a nervous smile back, though it was clear he felt delighted to receive applause for his appointment.

"Second I would like to remind trainers that we have some pretty harsh restrictions on where you can travel within our neighbouring forest," Dumbledore continued on a more serious note. "These guidelines are for your safety and, if you feel the need to refresh your memory, every common room is equipped with a map of which areas are accessible for your year level. I strongly advise against ignoring these suggestions, no matter how strong you think your Pokémon may be."

"Third, and I find myself repeating myself from last year, I must again point out the rule that states there must be no Pokémon battling between students in the halls. Pokémon battles should always be supervised at one of our internal battle fields, or held outdoors. Understood." He seemed to be focusing mainly on the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables as he said this and Harry wondered just how far this house rivalry thing went.

"And lastly, before you all go off to bed, I would like to inform everyone that the old Pokémon Statistics corridor on the third floor is out of bounds for anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death." Some people laughed. Others looked horrified. Harry wondered if Dumbledore meant them to take this seriously.

"And on that note," Dumbledore said brightly, all ominous tones gone. "Time for bed. Prefects will escort the first years to their dormitories." At this the hall became filled with noise as the rest of the student body made their way to their warm and comfy beds, tired from the days travel. Harry, sitting with the rest of the Gryffindor first years, was soon found by Ron's brother Percy, who quickly guided them from the hall.

The trip up to Gryffindor Tower was a long one, with Harry only just realising that the Gryffindor Common Room was located up on the seventh floor. Still, with Percy's guidance the new first year Gryffindor's made it up to their home for the next seven years and, splitting up into the boys and the girls, made their way up to their dormitories.

"What a meal," Ron commented tiredly as he plonked down on the bed with his trunk at the end. Someone had clearly brought them up from the train while they were eating.

"Yeah, hey, anyone mind if I leave my Chimchar out for the night?" Seamus Finnegan asked. He was sandy haired and spoke with a strong Irish accent, but other than that Harry didn't know much about him yet, except that his mother was a trainer and that his father hadn't found out until after they were married. That story had gotten a few laughs at dinner.

"Nah, I always let my Makuhita out overnight," the other boy in the dorm, Dean Thomas, responded.

"Me too," Harry agreed, Neville nodding with him. Ron had already fallen asleep.

"As long as we keep the door locked," Seamus said with a grin. "Don't want that Croagunk to go a wandering in the night, eh Neville?" Neville let out a nervous laugh and agreed and, before long, each of the four boys had bid each other goodnight and had retreated to their beds.

Inside the hangings of his four poster bed Harry turned on his side and looked down at his Charmander, curled up next to him already asleep. A small smile spread over his face.

"Here we go, Char," he whispered. "Here we start our adventure."


	5. Tea With Hagrid

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Hogwarts was big. That was the first lesson Harry learnt. The very first morning drilled in the realisation that they had not been paying any attention to where they were going the night before, and Harry and Ron only just made it down to the Gryffindor table in time to collect their timetables before their first class, Pokémon Physiology.

The idea that McGonagall was a professor not to be messed with was reaffirmed in her very first class. Strict and business like, McGonagall rattled through the attendance before giving them all their very first lecture.

"Pokémon Physiology may not seem as interesting or relevant as some of the other subjects offered at this school," she began. "But without a sound knowledge of your Pokémon you can never be a successful Pokémon trainer. I will stand for no slaking off and no messing around in my class, if you do I will not hesitate to put you in detention, even if it is your first day."

She then carried out her first class, which was focused on the Pokémon Bulbasaur, number one in the Pokédex Harry discovered. Poor Neville was so worried when Professor McGonagall singled him out, but it was only so he could show his Bulbasaur off to the rest of the class, receiving five points for Gryffindor in the process, making Neville beam. For the rest of the lesson McGonagall lectured and the whole class took notes, no one wanting to risk her ire, and by the time the bell rang more than a few were nursing sore wrists. Hermione Granger was bouncing.

Their next class was held out in the greenhouses with the Hufflepuffs. Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House, was a plump little woman with a warm personality, smiling at each of the students as she went through the attendance.

Her class, known as Herbology, turned out to be a lot more hands on than McGonagall's Physiology class. Straight away the class was divided into pairs and each pair were given a single beige coloured berry, a Pecha Berry, and were instructed to dissect it to see what it was like, all the while Sprout was talking amicably about all the interesting aspects of the Pecha Berry, from uses, to habitat, to texture and taste. After an hour of hard work the tired first years traipsed back into the castle to wash their hands and grab a quick lunch before their afternoon class, Pokémon Battling.

This class created by far the most excitement among the Gryffindor first years who couldn't wait to pit their Pokémon against their friends. In the end they were mostly disappointed.

Professor Quirrel, a tall, slim man with a terrible stutter and an uneasy posture, quietly assured them that they wouldn't be getting their first taste of battling for quite a few weeks, instead telling them they would be discussing the rules and procedure behind the Pokémon battles themselves. More than a few people groaned at this but Hermione, as was quickly becoming a habit, looked even more excited.

By far everyone's favourite class so far was Pokémon Statistics with Professor Flitwick, a tiny little man who was Head of Ravenclaw House and was so excitable that he dropped the attendance register twice before getting through all the names.

Pokémon Statistics interested Harry greatly as for their first lesson they covered the basic Pokémon stats, their Hit Points, or HP, their Attack, Defence, Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed. So enraptured was he that Harry was actually disappointed to hear the bell signalling the end of the class, and by the sounds of it he was not the only one.

This was in complete contrast to their History lesson. Taught by Professor Binns, a man who was even older than Dumbledore, and looked it too, it was by far the most boring of their classes. Pokémon History, as a subject, could be incredibly interesting, Harry imagined, but delivered in Binns' monotonous drone it was all anyone could do to just stay awake.

But that was far from their worst class.

The only class which Harry dreaded before even entering the room was Pokémon Potions, taught by the Head of Slytherin House, Professor Snape. Ron had heard from his brothers, even from perfect prefect Percy, that Snape was a bad teacher who specifically seemed to have a vendetta against Gryffindor house. Hermione would often scoff at these suggestions but Harry had seen Professor Snape at meal times and there was an undeniable air of malice that seemed to surround him, helped along by his sallow skin, greasy hair, hooked nose and ever present sneer.

Harry's first lesson with the Head of Slytherin House came on Friday morning, leaving him with a sinking feeling in his chest. However the load was lightened somewhat by the arrival of the mail.

The first time the breakfast time mail had been delivered Harry had been in shock. He'd been eating breakfast when all of a sudden a flock of birds soared into the hall, circling the ceiling before finding their target and flying down to them. Harry would later discover that these were all Pokémon and that it was a common method for Pokémon trainer's when exchanging mail.

That morning Ron had got a letter flown to him by his family's elderly Noctowl Errol, congratulating him on his sorting, but since then they hadn't received anything. That changed Friday morning as a small Pidgey fluttered down to Harry and presented him with his first mail. It was a request from Hagrid for lunch.

Feeling as though he could do with something to look forward to after Potions Harry scribbled a quick response and sent the Pidgey off to the staff table, where Hagrid received the note and gave him a big thumbs up.

Potions, as it turned out, was even worse than expected. For starters the Potions classroom was located in the dungeons, where it was much colder than the rest of the castle. The students huddled up together at their desks waiting before Professor Snape swooped in and started immediately. As with McGonagall no one dared make a sound.

"Pokémon away," Snape said shortly, sending a glare out at all those who had dared bring a Pokémon into his classroom, Harry being among them. The rest of the teachers seemed fine with their students having their Pokémon out during class, with Professor Flitwick positively encouraging it, but clearly Snape wasn't one of those professors.

"In this class," Snape spoke in a low, deadly voice. "We will be learning the subtle science and exact art of potion making. Potions, whether they be for regaining HP, curing paralysis, or snapping infatuation, are vital for the care and training of Pokémon. Few understand this essential truth, and I highly doubt you will either, but I will attempt to teach you the secrets of my craft, if you are not as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

No one made a sound. Snape seemed almost disappointed.

"Very well," he said, turning from the class. "The very first potion I will have you make is so simple it is literally called 'Potion'," Seamus Finnegan sniggered slightly at that but cut short as Snape turned his gaze on him. "Five points from Gryffindor," Snape said casually and continued, as though nothing had even happened. "A 'Potion', when brewed correctly can heal up to 20 HP on a single Pokémon and is applied through a spray technique. The instructions," he rolled down the board behind him. "Are on the blackboard."

There was a moment silence when nobody moved but as Snape continued to stare at him with his pitch dark eyes eventually a few brave souls started to gather their ingredients and eventually the whole class was in the midst of potion making.

It wasn't the worst, Harry thought as he sliced up a Pecha Berry, but the art of potion making would probably be a lot easier without Snape strolling up and down the aisle, criticising many of the attempts made by the students.

"You're cutting too thick, Potter," Snape snapped as he passed Harry's desk. "Five points from Gryffindor, and start again."

By the end of the class there was no doubt in Harry's mind that all the stories about Snape were true, and next to him Ron was positively fuming.

"That slimy, greasy, cowardly arsehole," Ron ranted as they sat in Hagrid's hut, nursing some tea. They had skipped any lunch at the castle in favour of seeing Hagrid and it hadn't been too long after introductions were made for Ron to feel comfortable around the giant man.

"Oh come on Ron, I'm sure he wasn't tha' bad," Hagrid said soothingly, petting a delighted Fang on the head.

"You weren't there Hagrid," Ron argued. "He must have taken fifty points from Gryffindor and not a single one from Slytherin, and I can tell you, that Goyle bloke messed up a lot worse than any of us did."

Harry was inclined to agree. What's more he had the distinct feeling that Snape didn't like him especially. He had no idea why and no real evidence but it just seemed as though his eyes were colder and his voice sharper when they were focused on Harry.

It hadn't helped that his Pokémon had been hanging upside down from the ceiling the entire lesson, literally breathing down his neck as he worked. He'd searched for the Pokémon in his Pokédex as soon as he was out of sight of the classroom and found that it was a Crobat. The mentions in the Pokédex description of Crobat sneaking up on its prey did not ease Harry's mind.

"Hey Hagrid, is this today's Prophet?" Harry asked, spotting the publication on the table. The Pokémon world's foremost publication, the Daily Prophet, was often found delivered to the more intellectual students at breakfast.

"Ah, no, that's from a while back," Hagrid answered. "I've jus' been keepin' it for the crossword. I still can't get three down; Seed Pokémon, seven letters."

"Ivysaur," Ron said quickly, grinning. They'd covered the evolution of Bulbasaur in Physiology just the day before.

"Ah, yeh got it Ron," Hagrid said, slapping the newspaper cheerfully. "Now if only I could get nine across I'd be all set."

But Harry wasn't listening. Instead he was looking at the front page where a pair of Kadabra were standing guard on the front steps of Gringotts under the banner headline: Break-in at Gringotts.

"Can I see that?" Harry asked, cutting across Hagrid and Ron in their quest to solve nine across. Hagrid looked confused.

"Sure," he said, handing Harry the crossword and getting even more confused as Harry immediately flipped the page and started reading.

"Mate, you know that headline is like a month old," Ron told him. "I remember my dad telling Percy about it. Some nutter broke into Gringotts, didn't even steal anything. My guess is the guy just wanted to prove that he could."

But Harry wasn't listening. Instead he had reached the part in the article he was most concerned about. "Hagrid, this break-in happened when we were there," he said in surprise. "Right on my birthday. And it says that the vault had been emptied earlier the same day. Hagrid, that thing you got for Dumbledore, do you think that was what the thief was looking for?"

"Nonsense," Hagrid said, but Harry had a feeling he wasn't being entirely truthful. He wasn't meeting Harry's eyes. "Must be a coincidence, that's all."

Harry was far from convince but let the matter drop anyway and the three of them enjoyed the last few minutes of break before Harry and Ron had to head back to the castle and Hagrid had to return to his duties.

"Alright, what was that about?" Ron asked as soon as Hagrid was out of earshot. Harry looked around cautiously.

"Okay, don't tell anyone, but I think I know what the thief was trying to steal," Harry whispered.

"What?" Ron asked.

"When I went to Gringotts with Hagrid on my birthday we stopped by another vault, number 713," Harry told Ron. "He never said what he took but he did say that it was Hogwarts business and that Professor Dumbledore had asked him to pick it up."

"Dumbledore sent him," Ron replied in a hushed tone, shocked. "But then that's got to be it. Dumbledore must have known it wasn't safe in Gringotts anymore and had Hagrid move it."

"Just in time as well," Harry agreed. "Another day and the thief would have got it."

"What did it look like?" Ron asked eagerly. Harry shook his head.

"Small," he said, cupping his hands to try and give Ron an idea of the size. "I didn't really see it it was all wrapped up."

Ron let out a whistle. "Must have been really valuable for someone to risk breaking into Gringotts for it," he commented.

"Or dangerous," Harry countered. The story about You-know-who that Hagrid had told him was still persistent in his thoughts.

"Well at least Dumbledore's got it now," Ron said. "Nobody would dare try to steal from Dumbledore, he's the strongest trainer there is. I bet you the … whatever it is, is safe."

Harry had to agree with that logic and so put the thought from his mind as he reached the great oak front doors of the castle and wandered through.


	6. Quidditch

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Life fell into a routine for the new first years. During the week they'd get up, shower, dress, get some breakfast and then head to class. At the weekend they would get to hang out on the sunny Hogwarts grounds with their Pokémon and catch up on the homework they'd put off doing during the week.

Even though they'd just started the homework was already mounting up, and seemed to come from two main sources. The first was from McGonagall. Their first assignment came upon completing their study of the Bulbasaur evolutionary line as they were told to write an essay detailing all they had learned so far. This at least was interesting, even though it was long and tiring, and having a Bulbasaur on hand was helpful.

The Potions homework was another thing altogether.

With every passing lesson Harry was becoming more and more confident that Snape definitely didn't like him. The tipping point came when Dean Thomas turned to him after a particularly harsh criticism from Snape and asked what he did to tick the professor off.

It wasn't just the teacher that was hard to deal with either. Potions, it turns out, was as difficult as Snape claimed it to be and while for some, like Harry and Ron, it was tough, for others, like Neville, who was quite simply terrified of Snape and already slightly accident prone, it was impossible.

"Again Longbottom," Snape drawled as Neville's potion congealed into a thick paste. "Let me guess, you added the Pecha Berry before bringing the potion to boiling point. Another zero for you, and ten points from Gryffindor."

Even Hermione, who had yet to say anything bad about a teacher, was horrified at what she witnessed.

Fortunately there was something that could take Harry's mind off his awful Potions Professor and that was the announcement of their first Quidditch lesson.

Quidditch, name origins unknown, was a popular trainer sport that comprised of two teams with seven players each, with a ball called the Quaffle, and a ring, called the Snitch. That was pretty much all Harry was able to make out from Ron's animated description the morning of their Quidditch lesson and while Neville seemed to have at least some idea of what Ron was talking about Hermione, like Harry himself, was befuddled, and not happy about it.

There was of course one drawback to the Quidditch lessons.

"Watch it Potter," a sneering voice sounded in his ear as someone roughly bumped into Harry on his way out of the castle doors.

Draco Malfoy had been a pain in Harry's side from the moment the two had met. Malfoy, and his Snivy, seemed to have taken Harry's spurning of their friendship as a sign to wage all out hostilities with the boy and anyone else that happened to get in the way. And that was where the problem was, Quidditch lessons were being taken with the Slytherins.

"Good, you're all here," Madam Hooch, Quidditch instructor, announced as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville reached the rest of the assorted Gryffindor and Slytherin students. It was worryingly noticeable that the two groups were standing very separate from each other.

"Lets start," Madam Hooch announced, clapping her hands together and rubbing to ward away the cold. It was getting to that point of the year when the weather took a turn for the worse.

"Now, before we begin I will first need to explain to you all the rules of Quidditch," Madam Hooch began. "Quidditch is a sport played with Pokémon. Each team has seven team members and each team member contributes exactly one of their Pokémon to the team. Your Pokémon can play in one of four positions. First, there are three Chasers. Their job is to take the Quaffle, that's this red ball here, and put it through one of the three hoops at the opposing teams end, scoring 10 points each time." She gestured behind her to where a small area of land had been marked off, three hoops stuck into the ground at either end.

"Each team gets one Pokémon to act as the Keeper," Madam Hooch went on. "Their job is to protect their teams hoops and stop the opponent from scoring. None of these Pokémon are allowed to use any Pokémon moves. Are you all following so far?" There was a flurry of nods. Madam Hooch's explanation was much clearer than Ron's had been.

"Each team has two Beaters," Madam Hooch continued. "These Pokémon are there to make their opponents lose possession of the Quaffle, whilst at the same time protecting their own Chasers from the other team's Beaters. Unlike the Chasers and Keeper, these Pokémon can use Pokémon moves during the game." A whisper went around the students.

"Finally the last member of the team is the Seeker," Madam Hooch finished. "The Seeker has no part to play until the very end of the match. At a random, predetermined, point during the game a balloon holding up what is called the Snitch Ring, a small, golden ring, will be realised and the job of the Seeker is to obtain that ring and hang it on a pole at their end of the pitch. Seekers may also use their moves, but only on the opposing Seeker. Once the Snitch has been placed on either teams pole the match is over and the successful Seeker wins their team an extra 150 points."

"There are many more rules and regulations that govern the sport of Quidditch," Madam Hooch told them. "But they are much more complicated and this is not the time to be standing around. I'd like you each to split into groups of four and we'll try out some positions."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville automatically found themselves in a group, with the remaining Gryffindors Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati grouping together whilst the Slytherin's divided amongst themselves.

First they tried out the Beater position.

"Charmander, Ember!" Harry called.

"Bulbasaur!" Neville cried as the attack hit and Bulbasaur groaned.

"Is Bulbasaur alright?" Harry asked anxiously, he had never meant to hurt him. Fortunately Bulbasaur was fine and after a second he was already ready to get back into the action, hitting Charmander with a tackle that knocked him over.

"Time!" Madam Hooch called loudly. "Please move on to the next station!"

It was the Chaser and Keeper's turn next and to Harry's complete disbelief they found themselves being paired off against the group of Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Theodore Nott.

"Alright Bulbasaur, block it!" Neville shouted, his face looking alive. Bulbasaur cried in agreement, sending out a long vine from his bulb to knock the ball back.

"Very inventive, Mr Longbottom," Madam Hooch commented as she came round. "But please remember that the Keeper is not allowed to use any Pokémon moves, so your Vine Whip would be classed as an illegal play."

"Oh," Neville said sadly, his whole body seeming to droop. The whole situation proved only to be a distraction however as, with all attention focused on Neville, Malfoy's Snivy had taken the opportunity to hit Charmander with a Slam attack.

"Charmander!" Harry called in surprise as Charmander was knocked into the dirt. Immediately Ron's Growlithe stepped forward, growling at Snivy who just turned its nose up into the air, clearly pleased with itself.

"Mr Malfoy that is not within the nature of this sport," Madam Hooch said crossly. "Sportsmanship is at the heart of Quidditch and manoeuvres such as that will not go unpunished in a game."

"Sorry," Malfoy drawled. Much like his Snivy, Malfoy didn't look it.

"I think that's enough of this round," Madam Hooch spoke, looking rather peeved by Malfoy's response. "Everyone! To your final station!"

The Seeker's station was slightly different. The balloon holding the Snitch Ring was tied to the ground to stop it blowing away and instead of there being a pole at either end there was one central pole in the middle for them to put the Snitch on. Lastly there were four Pokéballs placed in front of them, each containing a flying type so that they could play.

"I'll go first," Ron said enthusiastically, eagerly grabbing a Pokéball and releasing it. From inside appeared a bird Pokémon Harry actually recognised. A Pidgeotto, he'd seen many delivering mail in the few weeks he'd been at Hogwarts.

"Fantastic," Ron said. "Let's do this Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto was as geared up as Ron and within moments they'd outflown Crabbe and his Taillow and placed the Snitch on the pole.

Hermione went next, easily out speeding Goyle with a Yanma and winning, before Neville went up against Nott. As it turned out Nott had some experience and he took little time in having his Gligar crush Neville's Wingull with a Knock Off attack, easily winning while Wingull tried to catch it's bearings.

Finally it was Harry's turn and, as he had predicted, he was up against Malfoy. He'd been glancing over every so often as his friends had their go and it had become clear to Harry that Malfoy was waiting to battle against him especially. Something told him that Malfoy wanted him beat and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to do it.

Harry grasped the last of the Pokéballs and threw it.

"Noibat," the creature cried as it appeared, flapping its tiny wings ferociously to keep itself in the air. Across the field Harry could see that Malfoy had let out a Staravia, and with a sinking feeling Harry knew he was at a disadvantage. He held up his Pokédex and pointed it at the small purple Pokémon in front of him.

"Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokémon," the Pokédex said. "Even a robust wrestler will become dizzy and unable to stand when exposed to its 200,000-hertz ultrasonic waves"

"Huh," Harry said softly, impressed despite the Pokémon's weak appearance. "You've got some nice moves here." Noibat cried out happily. However it was clear that flying was proving to be a challenge.

"Come on Potter, I'm waiting," Malfoy mocked him from across the field. "I wouldn't want to beat you without giving you a chance, not that I like your odds." He smirked.

Harry scowled. "Are you ready?" Harry asked Noibat, who nodded. "Alright, let's go."

The smirk on Malfoy's face hadn't moved at all whilst he was waiting and he gave Harry's Pokémon an unimpressed look. "Please," he drawled. "This is too easy. Staravia, be a dear and get me that Snitch."

"Noibat, go for the Snitch!" Harry called too, directing his Pokémon upwards. But it was no use, Staravia was much too fast and was already most of the way there. "Noibat, use Supersonic!"

Noibat lowered its cute little head towards Staravia and let loose a burst of noise from its ears. Immediately everyone in the area covered their ears, including all the other students and Madam Hooch.

The Pokédex wasn't wrong, Harry thought wryly. "Okay Noibat, now get the Snitch!"

Noibat happily stopped the terrible noise it was making and flew up to the Snitch Ring, grabbing it off the balloon and quickly making its way back down.

"Staravia, pull yourself together and get that Snitch!" Malfoy shouted up at his Pokémon who shook its head firmly, shrugging off the aftereffects of Supersonic and soaring after Noibat, quickly gaining ground.

"Noibat quick, use Tailwind!" Harry called, grinning as he set his makeshift plan into motion. A large gust of wind blew throughout the area, unseating Staravia's flight path. However the gust seemed to swirl around Noibat without buffeting the tiny Pokémon and somehow seemed to guide Noibat down to the pole where the tiny Pokémon slipped on the Snitch triumphantly.

"Yes!" Harry shouted, running over to Noibat and hugging the tiny Pokémon. "That was brilliant Noibat," he told the Pokémon who seemed to glow with pride.

"That's not fair!" Malfoy cried. He was stomping across the field, his face red as he took up his cause with Madam Hooch. "Moves that effect other Pokémon other than the Seeker's aren't allowed."

Madam Hooch gave him a look of consideration. "While that's true normally, since Tailwind would increase the speed of all Noibat's teammates and not just Noibat, Mr Potter would be disqualified," Madam Hooch conceded. "However, in the case of a one-on-one Snitch run such moves are classified as legal." she turned to Harry. "Congratulations Mr Potter, that was a well won battle."

Harry couldn't help but grin at the praise.

"That's not fair!" Malfoy shouted angrily and he physically threw Staravia's Pokéball to the ground, prompting gasps from those around him.

"Mr Malfoy that'll be ten points from Slytherin," Madam Hooch said, her tone severe. "One of the essentially qualities of any Quidditch player is the ability to accept when they've been beaten. Throwing a temper tantrum is not good sportsmanship."

"To hell with sportsmanship," Malfoy sneered and, to everyones complete surprise, Malfoy stomped off, leaving behind a shocked class.

"Detention, Mr Malfoy!" Madam Hooch shouted after him. "And fifty points from Slytherin."

* * *

"Did you see his face?" Ron chortled as they made their way back up to the castle. With the dramatic conclusion to Harry and Malfoy's battle Quidditch lessons had been called to a halt and the first year students were heading back up to the castle for a well deserved lunch.

"He didn't take it well, did he?" Neville said with a weak smile. Seeing Malfoy put in his place had improved his mood since his defeat at the hands of Nott.

"I agree it wasn't good," Hermione admitted. "But we shouldn't be laughing about it. He broke the rules, he ignored Madam Hooch's specific instructions."

"Oh, forget it Hermione," Ron waved it all away as though it didn't matter at all. "What I want to talk about is how good you could be with a real flying type Pokémon. You could try out for the Quidditch team, I heard they were looking for a Seeker."

"Mr Potter," Professor McGonagall's stern voice rose over Ron's ramblings, stopping the foursome short.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry asked nervously. It was just impossible to hold your nerve in front of Professor McGonagall.

"If you could follow me," she instructed, half turning to return inside. "Just Potter," she added as Ron made to follow. Sharing a worried look with his friends Harry hurried after her. They climbed staircases and crossed corridors until Harry was sure he was completely lost.

"Um Professor," he said timidly. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

McGonagall stopped. "No, you are not," she informed him, turning and opening up a plain wooden door, gesturing for Harry to enter.

Inside the room was what appeared to be a study. A large desk took up most of the space and other than a few bookcases the rest of the room was left bare. Not a single thing was out of place. This was definitely McGonagall's office.

"Potter I would like to introduce you to Oliver Wood," McGonagall said briskly, gesturing to the only other thing in the room out of place other than himself, an older boy who seemed just as confused as Harry. "Wood is a fifth year, and in Gryffindor too. Most importantly he is captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team." She turned to Wood. "Wood, I have found you a seeker."

Wood's expression was comical. His eyes widened to the point where it looked like they'd fall out of their sockets and his jaw dropped. "No," he muttered, disbelieving. "Are you sure?"

"Most certainly," McGonagall said with no hesitation. "The boy just beat a Staravia to the Snitch using one of our newly hatched Noibat. He's a natural."

Wood turned to Harry. "Have you ever played Quidditch, Potter?" he asked, excited.

Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't even know anything about Pokémon until a couple of months ago." Wood was speechless.

"It's true, if you can believe that," McGonagall said. "He's just a natural talent. His father was the same. Captained one of the greatest Quidditch teams Hogwarts has ever seen."

Wood seemed to have skipped past his wonder for now and was stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Do you have a flying type Pokémon, Potter?" he asked. Harry shook his head.

"I'm sure we can get Dumbledore's permission to purchase Potter a flying Pokémon," McGonagall assured Wood. "It is not unheard of."

"It'll have to be a good one," Wood said. "Ravenclaw have got a new Seeker and I've heard she's good. No Starly or Pidove is going to cut it."

"Certainly not," McGonagall seemed scandalised by the suggestion. "Leave it to me, Wood. I may not have competed in a while but I know my Quidditch." She turned to Harry. "So what do you say Potter, would you like to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Uh," Harry was stunned. Everything was moving so fast, only a few moments ago he was sure he was in trouble. "Yeah, I mean, that would be awesome. I can't…" words failed him and he simply mouthed soundlessly for a few seconds before eventually giving up and closing his mouth.

"In that case," McGonagall said, a small smile curling her lips. "Quidditch practices occur three times a week. You'll start as soon as I have located a suitable Pokémon for you to use." She nodded briskly to them. "That will be all."

* * *

"Seeker," Ron sighed under his breath.

It had been a few days since Harry had let his friend in on the secret and the Quidditch maniac still hadn't got over it, bringing the topic up at random times ever since he'd heard the news.

Another person who hadn't got over it was Draco Malfoy. Thinking of him Harry glanced past Ron and towards the Slytherin table, where Malfoy was looking sour.

Malfoy had been acting like this ever since Harry had beaten him with Noibat and he'd been assigned detention for storming off. Snape, as Malfoy's head of house, had overseen the detention and despite his blatant favouritism towards the students in his own house Snape had seemed deeply unimpressed. Rumour had it that Malfoy had spent more than three hours preparing disgusting potions ingredients for all of Snape's classes.

Harry almost felt sorry for him.

Just then there was a slight ebb in the muted breakfast conversation as the now routine flock of flying type Pokémon flew in through the large upper windows to deliver their mail to the student population.

Harry hadn't gotten any mail since the one message from Hagrid but others in his year had received letters from their family and, in the case of Hermione Granger, the latest issues of the Daily Prophet, which she would open up and read immediately, closing herself off from her classmates.

It was quite a surprise, therefore, when an orange and black Pokémon with a pale underbelly swooped down and landed in front of Harry, a parcel clutched in its talons.

"Hello," Harry said in surprise. The Pokémon blinked at him. "Is this for me?" The Pokémon nodded. Harry tentatively reached out and unstrung the parcel from the Pokémon's leg, somewhat surprised when the Pokémon remained still, waiting for him.

The parcel wasn't very large, which was for the best as the Pokémon that had carried it, while not tiny, was not the biggest, standing at just a couple of feet tall. The parcel was however a very odd spherical shape and Harry had a suspicion as to what could be inside.

There was a note attached.

'Dear Mr Potter', it read. 'This Pokémon, Fletchinder, has been purchased from a shop in Diagon Alley for you to use in your upcoming Quidditch match. I advise you take the time to get to know him before your first practice this Friday. Best of luck, Prof M McGonagall'

Harry passed the note to Ron. He read it, looked up at the bird Pokémon still waiting patiently on the table, and then looked back down at the letter.

"Wicked!" he whispered excitedly, a wide grin splitting his face. "Harry this is perfect. Fletchinder are real fast, the Seeker for the Chudley Cannons has one, it'll be great for your-" But he quietened down as Harry made shushing gestures at him.

"Remember," Harry whispered, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed the commotion. "Wood wants this kept a secret. Come on, we'll go outside and talk there."

Harry's plan had merit and would have been fine as Fletchinder happily hopped onto Harry's arm, cawing a hello to Charmander on Harry's other shoulder, and Harry gathered the parcel and Ron and headed for the great oak doors.

However they were met there by Draco Malfoy.

"That your Pokémon now?" Malfoy drawled, though there was a touch of anger to his voice. "It's strange, I don't remember you having any family left to send you mail."

The barb cut sharply into Harry and he almost took a step back as Ron did the opposite, stepping forward and scowling.

"Shove off, Malfoy," he told him, Growlithe mimicking his trainer and growling at Malfoy too.

Malfoy gave Ron a cold look. "Stay out of this, Weasley," he snapped. "My issue is with Potter, not you."

"Your issue is you don't know when to shut up," Ron countered but Malfoy ignored him, infuriating the boy further.

"Someone sent you that Pokémon to keep," Malfoy commented. "I'm not an idiot," he continued, his eyes glancing at the parcel in Harry's hand. "I can recognise a Pokéball no matter how shoddily wrapped it is. Who sent it to you?"

"That's none of your business, Malfoy," Harry said shortly. He didn't want to admit that he had gotten Fletchinder from Professor McGonagall, no matter how much he wanted to rub it in Malfoy's face that he'd made the Quidditch team. "Why don't you just leave me alone and I'll do the same to you."

Malfoy sneered. "Wouldn't bet on it," he told him. "But I'd warn you Potter, Fletchinder are weak Pokémon." The Fletchinder on Harry's arm flared its wings angrily at that statement, causing Malfoy to smirk again. "Oh yes," he continued with much more enthusiasm. "With such weak stats they are useless in battle. One hit and…" he snapped his fingers. "Enjoy your Pokémon, Potter," he said, sniggering as he walked past them and down to the dungeons where the Slytherin's had their common room.

"That creep," Ron muttered angrily, glaring into the darkness of the dungeons long after Malfoy had disappeared from sight. "What does he know. I'm sure Fletchinder is a great Pokémon," Fletchinder puffed its chest out proudly. "He'll be singing a different tune when you guys wipe the floor with Slytherin."

Harry gave a weak smile. He'd barely just gotten used to the idea that he was on the Quidditch team that he hadn't yet given any thought to the fact that he'd be out there in front of the entire school with all of Gryffindor counting on him to win. It was an intense pressure.

"Come on," Ron said. "Lets see how Fletchinder flies, we've still got ten minutes before class."

The two spent slightly more time than they should have watching Fletchinder soar through the air, displaying his skills, such that they were a few minutes late getting into Pokémon Physiology. Harry guessed the only reason McGonagall didn't take points was because she knew why he was late. It seemed she wanted to win the Quidditch Cup even more than he did.

The first practice was on Friday evening, giving Harry two full days to try and distract himself from his eagerness to get out with Fletchinder again. In truth he did a bad job, he simply couldn't concentrate on his studies no matter how much he knew he should. Finally, Friday evening came.

Wood was in high spirits as he led Harry over towards the Quidditch pitch, a large circle of grass surrounded by stands that looked as though they could fit the whole school in if they had to. Wood's delight reached new heights when Harry showed him the Fletchinder McGonagall had sent him.

"Excellent! You've got a really fast Pokémon there," he said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "McGonagall knows her Quidditch, and she wants the cup back in her office."

With that pronouncement Harry was introduced to the rest of the Quidditch team.

Wood, obviously, was the captain and played Keeper, using his huge Snorlax that Harry felt could probably protect all three goalposts at once, it was so large. The Beaters were Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, who each had with them a Kecleon, as Harry had seen at Kings Cross. They didn't look like much but Harry quickly became witness of the damage their long tongues and ability to camouflage themselves into their surroundings could do.

The last three members of the team were the Chasers and they were all girls. Two of them, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, were third years, like Fred and George, and commanded a Lopunny and Hitmonlee respectively. The two vaguely humanoid Pokémon were incredibly agile with Hitmonlee able to use its legs and Lopunny its ears to control and fire the ball around quickly and accurately.

The third chaser was Katie Bell, a second year and new player like Harry, though she had been training with the team since tryouts a few weeks back. Her partner was a Hitmontop who, spinning on the point on its head, used its legs to great effect, proving why Wood had chosen her for the team.

Harry's job was to practice directing Fletchinder to get the Snitch, first from the balloon with no opponent, then in competition with Wood's Pelipper. As Harry got better and better at working with Fletchinder to get the snitch and avoid Pelipper's attacks Wood began to make the drills harder and harder, forcing Harry to wait for longer and longer while Pelipper got a head start. More times than Harry would like Pelipper successfully got the snitch back to Wood but as practice progressed those occasions were getting fewer and farther apart and by the end Harry felt he had made great progress, and more importantly so did Wood.

"We're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year," Wood stated confidently as the team made their way back up to the castle. "We've got a pair of deadly, unpredictable Beaters," the Weasley twins grinned at the description, "a trio of truly gifted Chasers," the three Chasers each blushed at Wood's praise, "and now we've got a Seeker better than any I've seen since Charlie Weasley," Wood finished, clapping Harry proudly on the shoulder and causing the boy to blush worse than the three Chasers.

"Don't forget yourself, Oliver," Fred added, punching the older boy in the arm. It looked funny since Wood was himself larger than Fred and George put together.

"Cracking keeper," George agreed. "And an inspirational leader too." The twins chuckled as Oliver's cheeks turned dark with embarrassment.

"They're right Ollie," Angelina Johnson told him, giving him a warm smile, an expression that Harry thought unusual for the otherwise austere looking girl. "When we win that cup it'll be because you led us to it."

"Here, here," Fred and George concurred together and as one they stepped forward on either side of Wood and marched him triumphantly up the castle steps, the rest of the team following in amusement.

And, as Harry finally settled down in his bed, Charmander curled up at his side and Fletchinder perched on the head board, he let a smile spread across his face. For the first time in Harry's memory he truly felt at home.


	7. Hydreigon

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Over the coming weeks Harry fell into a routine of classes, schoolwork and Quidditch training three times a week. If he was honest with himself, though his classes continued to be interesting and in some cases even enjoyable, Harry was really living for the time he spent on the Quidditch pitch, going one on one against Wood and his Pelipper with Fletchinder at his side. It was nearly all Harry could think about, the next practice, but that all changed just a couple of weeks into October when Harry and Ron joined Hagrid on one of his trips into the forest.

Hagrid, the keeper of the keys and grounds of Hogwarts, had a very important job, Harry had quickly discovered. While he was in charge of the care of the Lapras that took the first years across the lake for the first time, as well as the Zebstricka who apparently pulled the carriages for the rest of the students, he was also tasked with the well-being of the many different Pokémon that inhabited the forest, a job that required a lot of hard work and patience, as well as skill and some powerful Pokémon at his side.

Hagrid had all that and today he had invited Harry and Ron along as he went searching for a Patrat that had fallen seriously ill. So, armed with their Pokémon and Hagrid's huge bag filled with medical supplies, the trio headed off into the forest.

"Now we'll want ter stay quiet," Hagrid told them in a slightly hushed voice. "Nothin' in here wants ter hurt yeh but if they think yeh're a threat they'll defend 'emselves." He continued forward, Fang and Aragog walking along beside him with Harry and Ron, accompanied by Charmander and Growlithe, following behind.

"First years aren't usually allowed around this area," Hagrid told them, pointing to a wooden sign post with a red circle painted on. "You won't be of the right strength ter deal with any of these Pokémon 'til third year, but as long as you stay with me, an' Fang an' Aragog o' course, there won't be nothin' ter worry about."

Truthfully Harry and Ron weren't worried. Perhaps they should have been, considering they were venturing into an area where the Pokémon would be stronger than their own, but it was hard to with Hagrid so close by, not to mention that it was a bright, sunny day and the trees were thinly spread, allowing the natural light to bathe the ground in a golden glow. In reality it was quite beautiful.

Suddenly a bush rustled ahead of them and, despite their previous thoughts, Harry and Ron stiffened. There was a pause, then the bush rustled again, and then finally the creature inside stepped into the light.

"Well, look what we 'ave 'ere," Hagrid said, a note of awe in his voice as he bent down onto his knees to look at the little Pokémon. "Have a look guys, this is a real treat. We don't normally see these type o' Pokémon 'round 'ere." Harry and Ron inched closer, still slightly wary though feeling a bit stupid about it considering how cute the Pokémon that had appeared looked. "This is a Deino."

"A Deino," Ron repeated as he and Harry peered round Hagrid. "I think I've heard of them before."

"I'm bettin' yeh're right," Hagrid told him with a nod of approval. "Deino here is a Dragon type Pokémon."

"A Dragon type," Harry breathed, inching forward to get a closer look. Hagrid, however, held up a hand.

"That's close enough, Harry," he said softly. "Deino here is a lil' nervous, we don't want ter scare 'im." Hagrid held out one of his massive hands and placed it on the ground before him. The Deino sniffed curiously, glancing up at Hagrid's face, before it slowly stepped forward, taking a sniff of Hagrid's hand, before licking it.

"I remember now," Ron said in a whisper as Deino contented itself with licking Hagrid's hand clean. "Charlie mentioned he was working with one in Romania." Ron's second oldest brother, Charlie, worked at a dragon reserve. Ron frowned. "I thought it would be bigger," he said, a touch of disappointment in his voice.

Hagrid chuckled. "Oh, they get bigger," he assured Ron. "This is the un-evolved form. One day this Deino will evolve into a Zweilous, and then it'll evolve again into a Hydreigon." Hagrid let out a sigh. "Beautiful creature, Hydreigon," he told them. "I raised one once."

Harry frowned. "I thought you said you'd never had a Dragon type before, Hagrid," he said, confused.

"Oh no, not really," Hagrid said sadly. "I was just raisin' it fer Dumbledore, see. He's got a big job now, up at the castle. I go visit 'im when I can. God, 'e must get so lonely." Hagrid grew teary eyed at the prospect while Harry and Ron shared a look over his back, each thinking the same thing.

There's a Hydreigon in Hogwarts.

They didn't say anything though as Hagrid seemed to get control of himself. "Hey there Deino," he said softly, causing the Pokémon to abandon its assault on his hand. "We're lookin' for a sick Patrat, you don't know where we can find 'im."

Deino looked up at him for a second before nodding its head fervently, jumping up and down and gesturing with its head deeper into the forest.

"Over there?" Hagrid asked hopefully. Deino nodded. "That's great. Lead the way, Deino." Deino happily jumped forward, seemingly completely at ease with them now as it had no hesitancy exposing its back to them.

"Hagrid, is Deino taking us there?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yep," Hagrid said, a proud look on his face as he followed Deino. "One o' the first things I learned doing this job is that yeh can always count on Pokémon ter help yeh out." He smiled at their amazed looks. "It's true. I'm well known 'round here now, I've had the job so long, sometimes Pokémon come up ter me hut ter ask fer my help. And o' course, I always help with whatever I can."

And for the rest of the day, as Deino led them to the ailing Patrat and Hagrid tenderly shared his medicine, Harry and Ron looked at their giant friend with a new found respect. However, there was one thought in the back of their minds that neither boy could shake, and that was the mystery of Hagrid's Hydreigon.

* * *

They managed a week before they gave in, which all things considered Harry was quite impressed with, as the curiosity burned him even more than his desire to get back out on the Quidditch pitch. He had to know where Hagrid's Hydreigon was, and if Ron's attitude was anything to go by, he had to too.

They managed all the way until next Friday before Ron broke their unspoken agreement of silence.

"You know, I reckon it's what's on the third floor," Ron said out of the blue at lunch time. Harry blinked, he was still trying to recover from the morning's potions class.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, though as he did he realised the answer himself.

"Hagrid's Hydreigon," Ron said in an excited whisper. "Listen, I've been thinking and there's no way a Pokémon that big can be roaming around the castle without someone noticing. No, I reckon it's being kept somewhere and the only place in the castle where we can't go is the third floor corridor."

Harry glanced around carefully. He wasn't sure if anyone cared about this conversation but if what he suspected was true it would be good not to be overheard. "So what do you suppose we do?" he asked in a whisper.

Ron grinned. "We've got to see it, of course," he replied, his voice rising slightly in his excitement. "Think about it," he continued as Harry looked unsure. "How often do you think we'll get the chance to see an actual Hydreigon? You heard Hagrid when he said Deino was rare, how rare do you think Hydreigon will be?"

Harry glanced around again. "What are you suggesting?" he asked, though he had a good idea. Ron's eyes gleamed.

"We go to the forbidden corridor tonight," he said excitedly. "We see that Hydreigon. I mean, it's Hagrid's so it's not like it'll hurt us. A Hydreigon, Harry. A real, live, fully evolved Dragon type. I bet Malfoy hasn't seen one. Heck, I bet even Snape hasn't seen one. Come on, Harry."

Harry looked around for a third time. He was feeling really paranoid.

"Alright," he whispered quietly, Ron giving a victorious grin at his agreement. "But we'll need to be careful. We don't want anyone catching us out of bed, especially sneaking about around there."

Ron nodded and so the plan was set. Harry felt nervous at the idea of sneaking out late and venturing to the one place Professor Dumbledore had specifically said not to go to. However he couldn't deny he felt a little excitement too and as the day went on and he and Ron patiently waited for Neville, Dean and Seamus to fall asleep his anticipation grew.

Eventually their dorm mates were all asleep, as were their Pokémon, and Harry and Ron crept silently out the door and down the spiralling staircase to the common room below.

"What are you doing here?"

Harry inwardly cursed. He had assumed, given the late hour, that the common room would be deserted by now. But he had failed to count on Hermione Granger, who was now staring at them with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"None of your business," Ron snapped back before Harry had the chance to come up with something. Now she was _really_ suspicious.

"You're sneaking out," she said loudly and Harry couldn't help but flinch as the noise carried up to the dorms. Fortunately it seemed like no one had heard. "Why?"

"We told you, it's none of your business," Ron told her angrily, striding past and opening the door to the common room. "Come on Harry." With a feeling of dread Harry followed.

"Hold on just one moment," Hermione hissed after them, following them out and standing there in the corridor, arms crossed across her chest. "It's against the rules to sneak about at this time, don't you realise how much trouble you could be in if you're caught."

Harry could and Hermione could tell that he had from the moment he'd first considered sneaking out. She huffed.

"Unbelievable," she said, throwing her hands in the air while turning back to the door to the common room. "Good luck to the both of you." She pushed the handle. The door remained closed. Hermione paled.

"Looks like the door's locked," Harry said weakly, paling as well. "Must be one of those automatic ones." Of course that meant that he and Ron would have trouble getting back in when they were done. Their plan was starting to look worse and worse with each passing second.

"Well, we've got things to do," Ron said briskly, seemingly taking heart from Hermione's misfortune. "Hermione, good luck to you." And he started off at a brisk pace, Harry following hurriedly behind. However, a third set of footsteps followed.

"I'm coming with you," Hermione said as they both turned to look at her.

"No you're not," Ron said immediately. "You didn't even want to come. Why would we let you tag along now."

Hermione bristled. "You do realise we are locked out until someone lets us back in," she challenged Ron. "And I don't want to sit around out there all night waiting for Filch to catch me, no I do not. We're all much better off sticking together, now that we're all in the same boat. Safety in numbers."

Ron turned to Harry in exasperation.

"Makes sense," Harry admitted. "Besides, it'll be easier to avoid Filch with three sets of eyes and ears on the lookout."

Mr Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, was not someone you wanted to bump into in the early hours of the morning. A hunched, foul and overall disgusting man, Argus Filch was the scourge of all Hogwarts troublemakers, whether it be the Weasley Twins or some poor sod running in the corridor he'd catch them and put them in detention. Aided in his trench war against the students, Argus Filch was always followed by his Glameow, a decrepit looking thing that constantly looked half starved. Glameow, or Mrs Norris as Filch called her, was perhaps hated even more than Filch himself for she seemed to always appear at the worst possible moment, with Filch two steps behind her.

Harry had already gotten on Filch's bad side twice in the month he'd been at Hogwarts so far. The first time was when he tracked mud through the Entrance Hall after Quidditch practice. The second time he'd accidentally stood on Mrs Norris' tail. It went without saying that anything that could help keep Filch and his blasted Glameow away was worth whatever price you had to pay.

"Fine," Ron admitted, though not happily. It seemed that Hermione's appearance had put a damper on his enthusiasm. "But if you get us caught I swear I'll chop you up and feed you to Growlithe." Based on her expression Hermione wasn't sure whether he was being serious or not.

"Lets go," Harry told them and together the three of them, silent as mice, started to descend the many floors of Hogwarts, all the while staying alert.

The journey seemed a lot longer in the dead of night, and the castle itself looked so very different, so much so that the trio had to reorientate themselves more than once to make sure they were on the right track. Finally they reached the third floor and the door to the old Pokémon Stats corridor was standing before them.

"This is where you wanted to come," Hermione hissed in a horrified whisper. "This is the forbidden corridor. Dumbledore expressly warned us that it was too dangerous."

"Yeah yeah," Ron said, more carelessly than Harry would have liked. It seemed that in the face of Hermione's caution Ron had decide to go the other way. "Are you ready, Harry?" The excitement was back.

Harry nodded. He reached out to grasp the handle, and pulled.

The door remained shut.

"It's locked," Hermione told them, giving the boys an exasperated look. "Did you really expect Dumbledore would just allow anyone to waltz in here? Someone could have got lost and found this by mistake. Seriously, what a waste of time."

"Would you shut up?" Ron growled angrily. "It's not like I didn't come with a plan." From within his pocket Ron retrieved a couple of small silver instruments. "Lock picking kit," he told Harry with a grin. "Fred and George taught me. There's no lock that can keep us Weasley boys out."

Hermione humphed. "So what your telling me is that you could have got us back into the common room all along," she said, hands on hips.

"Yeah," Ron said, grinning and looking very pleased with himself.

"Then why didn't you?" she demanded.

"Didn't want to," Ron shot back easily. He seemed to be having a lot of fun. "Stand back," he told the pair of them, kneeling down by the lock and going to work.

"Why are we here?" Hermione asked Harry quietly, trying not to grab Ron's attention.

"You'll see once we get through this door," Harry assured her. He could feel his anticipation growing as Ron methodically twisted and turned his lock picking tools until eventually there was a loud grating sound and Ron stood back with a triumphant grin.

"Here we go," he whispered excitedly, reaching out to grasp the door handle. As an afterthought Harry placed a hand on Charmander's Pokéball, the thought only just occurring to him that this might not be safe. And then the door was open.

The first thing Harry was aware of were the heads. Three of them, each dark blue with red flaring around it. The centre head was larger and protruded up higher than the other two, which seemed almost like hands with the way they were held on two black arms. The Pokémon was floating before them, suspended in the air by the flapping of six black, tattered looking wings.

Then it screeched.

"Lock the door!" Harry yelled, flinging himself forward to slam the heavy door shut in the abominations face. Ron fiddled with his tools, his hands shaking so badly that he could barely keep hold of them.

A massive hit rocked the door, momentarily opening it and allowing the young Gryffindor's another peek of a monstrous head before Harry pushed it closed again.

"Ron, concentrate!" Harry yelled, trying to give himself as much of a brace against the door as he could. "Hermione, help me!" His cry was accompanied by another hit that caused him to stagger, but not fall. "Come on!"

Hermione looked terrified. Her face was white, her limbs shaking. She was completely frozen.

"Got it!" Ron shouted in success, to which the monster smashed against the door again. It shook, but clearly Ron had managed to push the lock back into place.

"Good job, Ron," Harry said, panting. Just a few seconds ago his blood had been pounding through his veins, now he was just about ready to pass out.

"Do you think the door will hold?" Ron asked nervously. Another bang sounded from the other side. Hydreigon clearly had not given up on them yet.

"Don't know," Harry answered. "But I know I want to be as far away from that thing as possible if it does get through."

Ron nodded. "Agreed," he said. "Come on." He started to make his way down the corridor.

"Wait," Harry called back. Ron stopped and turned but Harry's attention was on Hermione. She had not moved, not an inch, from the moment Hydreigon had attacked. "Hermione," Harry said, trying to keep his voice gentle but urgent at the same time. "Hermione, come on."

Ron was having none of it. "Come on," he said roughly, grabbing her by the arm and physically dragging her down the corridor. "We can sort you out later but right now we need to get away from that door."

The journey back to the Gryffindor common room was, incredibly, teacher free. Harry was sure that the racket Hydreigon was making would have woken the whole castle but, now that he thought about it, the sound of Hydreigon bashing against the door had faded some time ago.

Hermione still hadn't spoken, though she was at least carrying her own weight now. It seemed that her body had gone onto autopilot and that the essence of Hermione, her personality, had been left behind.

It wasn't until they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room that anyone spoke.

"Wow," Ron said. Harry thought that pretty much summed it up. "Well, I'm not listening to anything Hagrid tells me anymore. Beautiful creature, my arse."

"Why?" came a low tremor from behind them. "Why did you go looking for that?" It seemed that Hermione had found her voice again.

Harry and Ron shared a glance. "We didn't know it would be like that," Harry said, by way of explaining. "We just heard there was a Hydreigon at Hogwarts, we didn't know it would be a monster."

Hermione just shook her head in disbelief. "Did you at least read the Pokédex entry for Hydreigon?" she asked, as though already knowing the answer. Harry and Ron shared another look.

"Eh, no, not as such," Harry admitted, pulling out his Pokédex and quickly scanning for the Pokémon he wanted.

"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokémon," the Pokédex announced ominously. "This brutal Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering its attack."

There was a pause.

"Ah," Harry said simply. That made a lot of sense.

"Yeah," Ron agreed but to Harry's disbelief a smile was growing on his face. It grew and grew until Ron was laughing, hysterically.

"What do you think is so funny?" Hermione said crossly.

Ron just shook his head. "This is brilliant," he chortled. "Did you see that Pokémon. Brutal. And it's tail and legs looked like they'd been cut off or something. That's the scariest monster ever and we saw it, up close."

Harry had to smile at that. True, they probably should have done their research rather than simply winging it, but it had been an amazing experience.

"Honestly, what's wrong with you?" Hermione said loudly. She clearly didn't agree. "You still haven't told me why you decided to go looking for that thing in the first place."

Harry looked at Ron and raised an eyebrow. Ron shrugged. It seemed right that she know, considering they'd almost got her killed, the shrug said. And so Harry told her.

He told her about Hagrid mentioning that there was a Hydreigon in Hogwarts and how they had guessed it was being kept in the forbidden third floor corridor and how they'd been hoping to see a really cool Dragon type, which Hagrid had called beautiful.

"Beauty's in the eye of the beholder," Hermione said weakly as Harry finished. "But why? Why is there a Hydreigon in Hogwarts? Surely the safest place for a Pokémon like that is deep within the forest. Except…" Hermione tailed off, staring into the distance. Harry and Ron looked at her.

"Except what?" Ron asked impatiently, hating the suspense.

Hermione didn't answer immediately, instead she allowed her mouth to open slightly and she let out a breath. "Except that there was a trap door," she said eventually, her voice soft and far away. "Beneath Hydreigon, it was like it was guarding something."

Harry and Ron shared a look.

"About that," Harry started, gaining Hermione's full attention. And so he told her about the mysterious package Hagrid had rescued from Gringotts and all of a sudden the three of them were in the conspiracy together.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everybody. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far and thank you so much to anyone who has read this. I just wanted to briefly talk about something that was brought up in a review, which I will split into three parts.

1) Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to review and for supporting this project. Of course the reason I post here rather than simply keep these stories for myself is in the hope that other people might enjoy them, so I'm grateful for all the support.

2) Second, while I really appreciate reviews I would advise that if you have a question or something you want me to clarify that you get an account. This way I'll be able to PM a response to you directly and you won't have to wait for the next chapter to have your questions answered. Creating an account is very easy and it's free (something I should definitely know as I very recently created my own account) and I would highly recommend it for even the most casual of fan-fiction viewers.

3) Lastly, and answering the question that sparked this whole comment, I would like to clear up how Quidditch works in my story. The reviewer in question asked if the trainers do anything or do they just watch the Pokémon play and the answer is they mostly just let them play. The best way to think about it is to compare it with professional sports teams with the Pokémon as the players and the trainers as the coaches. The trainers can create the tactics and call plays but at the end of the day it is up to the Pokémon to perform.

I hope this clears up any confusion and I look forward to seeing you in the next chapter.


	8. Halloween

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

They didn't talk about their night of adventure for a long time afterwards. Hermione full stop didn't talk to Harry or Ron for a while too. No matter how much she was intrigued by their story she was still mad at them for dragging her into their mess. Harry and Ron quietly considered it more of an adventure.

That night the three of them had stayed up into the early hours of the morning talking about what could possibly be hidden beneath the dismembered feet of the monstrous Hydreigon. In the end there was only one thing they could agree on. Whatever it was was highly valuable, valuable enough to warrant the protection of both Gringotts and now Hogwarts, and that somebody, somebody powerful, was after it.

But Harry wasn't given much time to think about what mysterious treasures lay under his feet as a much more important matter raised its head. The start of the Quidditch season and with it Harry's first match, and it was against Slytherin.

While Wood maintained that it was Ravenclaw that would be their toughest obstacle on the road to winning the Quidditch Cup there was something about playing against Slytherin that got the Gryffindor team worked up.

It wasn't just the teams either. As a still unknown member of the Gryffindor team Harry got a different look at how the attitudes of the Gryffindors and Slytherins changed as the date of the match drew closer. The players would sometimes be shouted encouragements as they walked to class, though insults were just as likely if the accuser came from the other house. In fact tensions between the two houses seemed to grow by the day, and on only one day did hostilities simmer down and take a back seat.

Halloween.

* * *

"Charmander, use Scratch," Harry called, directing his Pokémon against Ron's Growlithe. Charmander raced forward eagerly and swiped a claw across Growlithe's face, causing it to whimper slightly.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously, to which Growlithe barked affirmatively. "Okay, use Tackle!" Growlithe charged forward and threw his weight into Charmander, knocking the small fire lizard all the way across to Harry's feet, where he jumped up eagerly, enjoying the battle.

"Ember, Charmander!" Harry shouted enthusiastically, really getting into it. Charmander drew in a breath and spat out a stream of flaming embers which struck Growlithe straight on. Growlithe appeared completely unfazed.

"It didn't work?" Harry questioned. Across the room Ron looked just as confused.

"Ah, n-no w-w-worries, Mr Potter," Professor Quirrel said with his usual stutter, appearing at Harry's shoulder.

They were in their Pokémon Battling class and, as a special Halloween treat, Professor Quirrel had decided to hold the class's first practical lesson, pairing up all the students to have battles with each other while he kept a watchful eye.

"Why didn't it work, Professor?" Harry asked. Charmander, too, looked up at Quirrel for answers.

"W-well, y-you see, Growlithe can have t-two d-d-different special ab-bilities,' Quirrel stammered. "One is I-Intimidate," he said, with a short self depreciating laugh. "The other is F-F-Flash F-Fire." Quirrel swallowed. "It appears M-Mr Weasley's G-G-Growlithe has F-Flash Fire, m-meaning he is immune f-from f-f-fire type attacks." Quirrel smiled. "When hit with a f-f-fire type attack, G-Growlithe's own f-f-fire type attacks are s-s-strengthened."

The bell rang.

"T-that's all for today, c-class," Quirrel announced. "I-I'd just like to r-remind you that i-it is H-H-Halloween today." He gave a small smile. "I w-wouldn't suggest anyone b-be l-l-late for the feast. It is f-f-f-frightfully good."

* * *

"You know, Quirrel isn't so bad," Ron commented as he and Harry walked down the corridor towards the Great Hall. Growlithe was walking at Ron's heel and Charmander had taken up his usual place on Harry's shoulder. "It's just a pity about the stutter."

Harry nodded. Their Pokémon Battling lessons had improved as time went on and Harry personally felt that their first practical lesson had been a huge success and couldn't wait for the next one.

"I didn't realise Growlithe could have different abilities," Harry commented, thinking about what Quirrel had told them.

"Lots of Pokémon can," Hermione Granger appeared, her HootHoot sitting on her shoulder. "It's part of what makes Pokémon so interesting." HootHoot gave a hoot of agreement from her shoulder.

Ron frowned. "So you're speaking to us again?" he asked.

Hermione gave him a sharp look. "I was never _deliberately_ avoiding you," she told him sternly. Ron shrugged.

"Pity," he said, before turning back to Harry. "Hey, I wonder what ability Charmander has." Harry was about to agree when Hermione spoke up again.

"Charmander can only have one ability," Hermione said in a matter of fact voice. "It's called Blaze and it means that when your Pokémon is low on health it will have its fire type attack power increased." She gave Ron a withering look. "You should have remembered that," she told him scornfully. "We covered it with McGonagall just a few weeks ago."

"So what abilities does HootHoot have?" Harry asked, sensing there was a fight brewing and wanting to cut it off at the source.

"Either Keen Eye or Insomnia," Hermione answered immediately, as though she were reading from a text book. "Keen Eye means that your Pokémon's accuracy can't be lowered by another Pokémon's attack while Insomnia means that your Pokémon can't be put to sleep."

"What use is that?" Ron asked. "If I'm in a battle I bet none of my Pokémon are going to be having a kip any time soon." Hermione humphed.

"HootHoot, go use Hypnosis on Growlithe," Hermione told the owl Pokémon on her shoulder. HootHoot obligingly fluttered down to land in front of Growlithe and started letting out a long, soothing call. Growlithe's eyes drooped and within moments he was snoring on the ground.

"Hey, stop that," Ron said angrily, swinging an arm at HootHoot who quickly fled back to Hermione's shoulder.

"Don't worry, he's just asleep," Hermione said, exasperated, as Ron fussed over his starter Pokémon. "Look, he's already waking up." Sure enough Growlithe's eyes opened and he gave out a loud yawn.

"Huh," Ron said, holding Growlithe out before him and examining him closely. "I guess you are alright," he commented. Growlithe just opened and closed his mouth, eyes still half closed. "Guess I'll be carrying you," Ron grinned, pulling the dog Pokémon to his chest where Growlithe happily let his tongue lol out.

* * *

The Great Hall was in fantastic festive form for Halloween. Everywhere Harry looked there were ghost Pokémon, gliding between the tables and through the air, with many Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist featured among them. The lights that usually lit up the Great Hall had been turned off and instead the whole scene was illuminated by hundreds of floating Lampent and Chandelure, with many Litwick resting upon the tables. It was a spectacular sight.

As the clock struck the hour Headmaster Dumbledore stood, smiling widely at the students assembled before him.

"Welcome to the traditional Hogwarts Halloween Feast," he said grandly. "Tonight we celebrate all those Pokémon who journey between our world and the next. And without further ado, let the feast begin!"

The food was excellent. Harry was already feeling full but there was still so much left to try that he dare not stop eating. Ron beside him was going through his food at a phenomenal rate and Growlithe similarly seemed to have developed quite the appetite after his short nap. The whole hall was filled with noise and laughter as people swapped stories and told jokes, but unfortunately it came to a premature end.

Harry was one of the first to notice the sound of hurried footsteps striding into the hall but soon enough the whole hall had turned to look. Professor Quirrel, not quite running but moving significantly quicker than usual, was approaching the head table with an expression of what looked like terror on his face.

"U-u-ursaring, Headmaster," Quirrel stammered as he reached Dumbledore's seat. "A-a-all throughout the castle. And they're mad." A ripple of noise swept through the hall as the students whispered to each other, some at the far away tables straining to catch a glimpse of Quirrel over the heads of their fellow students.

"Quiet please," Dumbledore said, his voice low but easily carrying throughout the whole hall. He rose to his feet. "Everyone is to remain in the Great Hall for now. The teachers will join me in finding and calming the Ursaring." He turned to the head table. "Severus, Minerva, can I count on you to look after the students while I am away?"

"Yes, of course," McGonagall said briskly. Snape just nodded.

"Very well," Dumbledore said and with a sweep of his arm he gestured for the rest of the staff, including Hagrid, to follow him. He turned back as the last of the staff members exited the hall and, with surprising strength, pulled the great doors closed with a thud, leaving the hall silent behind him.

The students waited for quite some time, the delicious Halloween food all but forgotten, as they each silently imagined what was going on in the rest of the castle. McGonagall and Snape, the only teachers left behind, had each taken up positions by the doors, Snape with a segmented Pokémon in various shades of purple called Drapion, and McGonagall with a lion like Pokémon with a stream of fire flickering from its head, which Harry's Pokédex identified as a female Pyroar.

Eventually Dumbledore returned, looking tired and worried, but nevertheless in one piece.

"It is safe to return to your dormitories," he announced to the students who were waiting eagerly in anticipation. "The threat has been contained. If the prefects could lead their respective house mates back to your common rooms you can all enjoy a well deserved night's rest."

The Gryffindors stayed mostly quiet as they were led up to their seventh floor common room, McGonagall taking charge of her students, but as soon as McGonagall closed the common room door behind her the room burst into noise.

Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves alone in a small corner of the room.

"Whew, what a night," Ron said, wiping away dramatically at his forehead. "Good food and entertainment." Growlithe grinned happily from his lap.

"It wasn't for your entertainment," Hermione said, scandalised. "There really were Ursaring in the school tonight."

Ron snorted. "How could there be?" he asked. "Ursaring don't live in castles, they probably live deep in the forest. What, you think they wandered into the school 'by accident'." He mimed quotation marks before giving Hermione an unimpressed look.

"No, I don't think that at all," Hermione retorted, shooting an annoyed look at the red head. "No, I think someone let them in on purpose."

Harry sat up straighter. "You think this was deliberate?" he asked, shocked. "But why would someone do something like that?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know but remember, Dumbledore's hiding something really valuable under that trap door," she reminded them. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone let all the Ursaring into the school as a distraction."

Harry frowned. "But why?" he asked again. "We were all in the Great Hall anyway, why couldn't they just sneak in while we were eating?"

Ron jumped up suddenly, startling the other two. "Unless it was someone in the hall that did it," he said excitedly. "What if it was one of the teachers? What if it was Snape?"

Hermione frowned. "It can't have been Snape," she told him. "He was there the whole time."

"Only cause Dumbledore asked," Ron countered. "Snape didn't know that. Maybe he was planning on checking out the third floor but couldn't without Dumbledore getting all suspicious."

Hermione wasn't convinced and to be honest neither was Harry. In truth he couldn't see any of the teachers trying to steal from Dumbledore, although he did admit he only knew half of them. Still, if any teacher was after what was hidden in the castle then Snape was a prime suspect.


	9. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Gradually everyone went to bed and by the next morning it was almost as though nothing had happened. There was something far more important for the students of Hogwarts to be excited about. In just over a week the first Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, would be upon them, and Harry's nerves were starting to make themselves known.

"You'll be fine," Ron told him, shaking his head as Harry steadfastly refused to eat his breakfast. "I've seen you and Fletchinder in practice, you'll cream the Slytherins, I know it."

It was true that Harry and Fletchinder had really been able to gel as a team, now rarely getting beaten by Wood's Pelipper, no matter how difficult Wood made it. But Harry knew it would be different in a game. Wood's Pelipper, though strong and quite fast, was not designed to play Seeker. It was not very manoeuvrable, had no turn of pace and most importantly was being directed by someone who was not a Seeker. Harry was under no illusions that his opponent today would be a lot tougher to beat.

"Ron's right," Hermione said from his other side. "You should get something good in you, it'll make you feel better."

Hermione had, though none of them were entirely sure why, joined Harry and Ron a lot since the incident at Halloween. Ron didn't necessarily see this as a good thing and Hermione didn't pass up any chance to correct Ron or lecture him, but for once they were on the same page.

"I should go," Harry said, standing up from his untouched plate. "Take Charmander, he wants to watch," he added, gesturing to where the fire lizard was standing on the table.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione told him.

"Yeah, good luck mate," Ron agreed, Charmander giving his support too, and so Harry left them and made his solitary way towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Feeling alright, Harry?"

Harry jumped as an arm wrapped around his shoulder and Fred Weasley made his presence. Harry was surprised the Gryffindor Beater wasn't already at the pitch.

"We were keeping an eye on you," Fred told him, nodding to where George stood, having wrapped an arm around Harry's other shoulder, boxing him in. "Didn't eat much, did he, George?"

"No," George said dramatically. "Not at all I'd say, and we can't have that." He pulled something from his pocket. "Chocolate," he announced, holding the bar up to Harry's face.

"Best thing for nerves," Fred agreed, and in a piece of masterful coordination he used his free hand to tear off the wrapper. "Hogwarts don't serve it with breakfast, despite our petitions…"

"…but we've found it really is the best before-Quidditch meal," George finished.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully, extracting his arm so he could grab hold of the chocolate bar, taking a small bite. Like the twins had promised he did feel better with some food in him.

"Were you nervous before your first Quidditch match?" Harry asked as he finished the chocolate.

"Nah," Fred said, shaking his head confidently as he took the empty wrapper from Harry, casually tossing it away. Harry felt like he should tell him off for littering but since he had been the one to give Harry the chocolate in the first place Harry thought he'd let it slide.

"I don't think we've ever been nervous for anything, have we Fred," George suggested, looking over at his twin. Somehow Harry could believe them but before Fred could respond they'd reached the Gryffindor changing room and made their way inside.

"There you are," Wood said as they walked through the door. "Quick, get your team shirts on and we'll go over some last minute tactics, we're due out any minute."

Harry, Fred and George hurried to change as Oliver went through the game plan.

"We need to be wary, we know how Slytherin play," he told his players. "They'll try to rough us up and wear us down. Fred, George, we need you to make life as difficult for them as possible. Trip them, block them, just make a good nuisance of yourselves. You're more than qualified."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Fred and George saluted. Wood just grunted in approval before turning to Harry.

"Don't let the crowd bother you," he told the youngest member of the team. "Keep a good eye out for when the snitch appears. And be careful with the Slytherin Beaters. It's a violation to attack the Seeker before the snitch shows itself but I wouldn't put it past them." Harry nodded. Wood had already said all these things before.

Wood paused. "Play like you do in practice and we'll win," he said as final words before he led his team out and onto the pitch.

The stands were packed. Harry's assertion that the stadium could hold all of Hogwarts appeared to have been put to the test as it seemed that every single student and teacher had come out to watch the match.

Madam Hooch stood in the middle of the field, the Slytherin team already waiting for them. One by one the Gryffindor team, Harry at the end, shook hands with each member of the Slytherin team, and Harry had to flinch as seven times in a row his hand was crushed by an overly firm grip.

"Players," Madam Hooch, referee for the game, called out once everyone had shaken hands. "Release your Pokémon." Along his side of the field Harry watched as Snorlax, Lopunny, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and the two Kecleon appeared, Fletchinder stretching out his wings to float above all of them.

On the other side of the field stood an array of tough looking Pokémon but Harry's attention was focused on the flying type that was fluttering above them. A Tranquill would be his opponent today.

"Seekers, into the air," Madam Hooch called and Harry walked over to the waiting hot air balloon and climbed inside. Seekers, because their Pokémon operated so high above the rest of the action, spent the duration of the game floating at a pre-specified height, with their target pole jutting out from under the trainer's feet. At some point a balloon carrying the snitch would float into view. Harry just had to be ready for it.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch announced, placing the Quaffle on the exact centre of the field and checking to see that the two teams were waiting on their marks. "Three, two, one!" She gave a sharp blast on her whistle and the game began.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin," Lee Jordan, a third year, was commentating the match, under the watchful eye of Professor McGonagall.

"We've already had the first surprise of the match as Gryffindor Captain Wood has gone with first year Harry Potter and his Fletchinder at Seeker position," Jordan announced, prompting a small set of cheers from the crowd where the Gryffindor first years sat. "Mr Potter's father had quite a successful time at Chaser in his day, winning multiple titles for Gryffindor and Captaining his team too. I'm sure Professor McGonagall will be hoping 'like father like son', eh?"

"Jordan, the match," McGonagall's voice interrupted dryly.

"Of course Professor, let's see, what have we here," Lee continued. "Slytherin have taken control of the Quaffle. Machoke, to Throh, to Sawk, back to Throh, could be a chance this. No, saved by Wood's Snorlax! What a beast, and now Gryffindor have possession."

The game was being played at a feverish pace and Harry was already starting to feel a little out of his depth as the Quaffle flew around faster than Harry could keep track of it.

"Lopunny with it, now Hitmonlee. Lopunny, Hitmonlee, Lopunny, ouch! That was a nasty hit from Sawk, an obvious foul… but Hooch hasn't called it. I suppose Sawk can't actually learn Tackle so it doesn't class as a move but come on Madam Hooch, that's foul!"

Boos could be heard from the Slytherin end of the pitch. Harry supposed that perhaps Lee Jordan wasn't the unbiased commentator they really needed for a game like this, especially since he was best friends with the Weasley twins.

"Jordan, if you could please refrain from questioning the integrity of the referee," Professor McGonagall admonished over the microphone.

"Sorry, Professor," Lee apologised. "Doesn't matter now, Gryffindor regain possession. To Lopunny, Hitmontop, Lopunny, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop. Blimey, this may be her first game but Katie Bell and her Hitmontop look right at home here. And look at that, she's in on goal. Hitmontop shoots, scores! Ten zero to Gryffindor!"

Harry punched the air as Hitmontop stuck away the first goal of the match, revelling in the cheers that erupted around the stadium. Emboldened by Katie's success, Harry doubled his efforts keeping an eye out for the snitch.

"Harry, watch out!" Wood bellowed. Glancing round in bewilderment Harry could only gape as a bolt of lightning flew just inches past Fletchinder mid-flight.

"Foul!" Lee shouted, as did half the crowd with him. "Now that's got to be a violation!"

Indeed Madam Hooch gave a short blast on her whistle, indicating a penalty to Gryffindor, while having a strict word with one of the Slytherin Beaters, whose Manectric had been the source of the illegal play. Shaken, but still okay, Harry vowed to keep a better eye out for sneak attacks.

"Lopunny steps up for the penalty, and I think we know what's going to happen here," Lee Jordan said excitedly as the whole stadium took a collective breath of anticipation. "Yes! She scores! Twenty zero to Gryffindor! That Lopunny just never misses!"

The cheers had barely settled when Gryffindor stole possession again, one of Fred and George's Kecleon tripping the Slytherin's Sawk with its tongue, allowing Hitmonlee to pounce and rifle in a third Gryffindor goal.

And then Slytherin started to play dirty. The Beaters, Manectric and Glalie, who had up until this point been largely bystanders, sprung into action, viciously attacking the three Gryffindor Chasers with reckless abandon, often going beyond the rules of the game. Penalty after penalty Gryffindor were awarded but with each one the Gryffindor Chasers got more and more battered and soon they were being outplayed.

"Slytherin in possession. Sawk, Throh, now back to Machoke, a shot on goal… saved by Snorlax," Lee continued, his voice starting to lose its enthusiasm as the game changed. "Wood showing his importance there and Gryffindor maintain they're lead, ninety to forty."

But Wood was all that was holding back the Slytherin tide as the three Chasers were out on their feet and Fred and George's two Kecleon had their hands full protecting them from further damage to do anything to disrupt the Slytherin Chasers' play.

And then Harry saw it. The snitch, attached to a balloon that was floating in from the right.

"Fletchinder, go!" Harry shouted at once, hearing a similar command from his opposite number. The two bird Pokémon sprung into action, each flying at breakneck speed in what seemed a close race.

"Tranquil, use Air Slash!" Harry was taken by surprise by the attack, Tranquil effectively giving up on the race to fling a ball of air which struck Fletchinder hard on the chest.

"Fletchinder!" Harry called as his Pokémon struggled to reorientate itself as it forcefully pulled up. Tranquil had taken the snitch in Harry's distraction and was heading for the Slytherin pole. "Use Flame Charge, Fletchinder!"

Fletchinder didn't waste any time and immediately went straight after his opponent. As he flew his body became surrounded by flickering flames. Fletchinder was faster than Tranquill, and was making good ground, but Tranquill was still closing in on home.

"Fletchinder, Ember!" One of the combinations Harry had been working on, Fletchinder, still surrounded by fire, shot out a spray of burning embers, striking Tranquill on the back and causing it to pull up. That was a mistake as Fletchinder smashed into it with his Flame Charge and both Pokémon, as well as the snitch, went into free-fall.

"Catch the snitch!" Harry shouted, to which Fletchinder responded by swooping through the air and taking hold of the ring before pulling up. "Now to me!" Fletchinder moved to comply but found his path blocked.

Glalie floated in front of him and was already charging up an Ice Beam. Instinctively Fletchinder dove to avoid the attack, flitting in and out of the Chasers, but that presented another problem.

Manectric, the other Slytherin Beater, tore after the Gryffindor Seeker, its fangs crackling with electrical energy. Fletchinder twisted and turned but Manectric gave chase, crashing through any Pokémon that got in its way, be they friend or foe. That gave Harry an idea.

"Fletchinder, fly behind Snorlax!" he called, hoping his Pokémon could hear him. His hopes were answered as Fletchinder immediately changed course, just dodging another Ice Beam attack from the floating Glalie, and made a bee-line for Snorlax.

It was almost comical the way Manectric bounced straight off Snorlax's belly, the blow not even troubling the enormous Pokémon who seemed more concerned with defending against another shot attempt to notice. But it gave Fletchinder just enough time to get away and rise to safety, only to find Tranquill waiting for him.

"Tranquill, Wing Attack!" came the call from the other end of the field and Harry could only shout for Fletchinder to dodge as Tranquill repeated took swipes at Harry's Pokémon, Fletchinder only just avoiding them each time.

"Fletchinder, use Flame Charge!" Harry shouted, seeing an opportunity to attack. Tranquill was quick to dodge but Fletchinder would not relent and the two Pokémon continued to trade blows, neither able to hit the other but both dangerous.

"Okay Fletchinder, one more Flame Charge!" Harry called, his plan starting to come together. As he expected Tranquill dodged the attack but Harry never had any intention of hurting the Pokémon. "Now, straight home!"

Fletchinder flew, really flew, back towards Harry. A side effect of the move Flame Charge, as Harry had discovered during his practice games against Wood, was that it increased the speed of the Pokémon using it. Now Fletchinder was making good use of the speed boosts he'd received from his multiple Flame Charge attacks as Tranquill was only able to hover and watch Fletchinder soar over to his designated pole and drop the snitch onto it.


	10. Christmas

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

"Un-be-lievable."

The match had ended awhile ago and Harry, Ron, and now Hermione too, were out walking through the forest with Hagrid, Fang and Aragog by his side.

"You and Fletchinder, wha' a team," Hagrid said with a grin. "Yeh'll win that Quidditch Cup fer sure this year, I promise yeh."

"Thanks Hagrid," Harry said with a smile. "How did you like the game, Charmander?" he asked, looking to where his starter was walking alongside Ron's Growlithe.

"Char-mander," Charmander said happily, bouncing on the spot.

"Charmander was really into it," Hermione told him. Her HootHoot, to Ron's great amusement, had decided to perch itself on the top of Hermione's head, which was quite a sight to be seen.

"Yeah," Harry said with a smile. "Well you'll be able to talk with Fletchinder all about it later. I left him with Madame Pomfrey but she said he'll be fine to come back with us tonight." Charmander made a happy noise and ran to catch up with Growlithe. Fang looked down at the two and wagged his tail happily.

"Hey, Hagrid, I was wondering something," Harry said, a thought that had been nagging at the corner of his mind coming to the surface. "If you want a Dragon type Pokémon so much why don't you just catch one in here?"

Hagrid sighed. "I'd love ter do that," he told them. "But it's a trust thing, yeh see. If I started catchin' the Pokémon around here they wouldn't trust me ter look after them, and then I couldn't do my job properly." Hagrid shook his head. "Besides, I don't have much time ter be raising a new Pokémon anyway."

"But what about Hydreigon," Harry said.

"Yeah, that Pokémon was vicious," Ron added. "Seriously, I don't know how you handled that thing Hagrid, it tried to kill us when we saw it."

Hagrid looked aghast. "You've seen him," he gasped. "What wer' you three doing lookin' around there?!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged guilty looks.

"Sorry Hagrid," Harry said quietly. "Hydreigon just sounded so cool we wanted to see it. We figured that the only place it could be kept was the third floor corridor so we had a look and, well…" Harry shrugged.

"But Ron is right, that Hydreigon is dangerous," Hermione spoke up. "It should not be in a school with kids."

"Wha'?" Hagrid said, looking genuinely astonished. "Fluffy's not dangerous."

"Fluffy!?" Ron stated incredulously.

"Yeah, well he's got ter have a name, don't he," Hagrid said as though it was obvious. "But yeah, Fluffy wouldn't hurt anyone, he's a big old softy. He just acts tough, that's all."

"If you say so," Harry said uncertainly. Truthfully he doubted Hagrid understood the dangers 'Fluffy' posed to normal sized humans. "I was more interested in what Fluffy was guarding," Harry continued. "It's the thing you took from Gringotts, isn't it?"

"I'm sayin' nothin'," Hagrid said, more or less confirming exactly what Harry suspected.

"Come on Hagrid, what is it?" Ron asked. "We already know it's there, what harm does it do to tell us."

"No, yeh're not gettin' anythin' out of me," Hagrid said, holding his head high. "Listen, it's not for you, me, or anybody else ter know what's hidden in the castle. That's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."

"Nicolas Flamel," Harry said quickly. "Who's he?" But it was clear that Hagrid knew that he had said too much and from that moment on he refused to say anything more about the mysterious parcel hidden within the school.

"Guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves then," Ron said as the trio made their way back from Hagrid's cabin, having eventually given up on prying any more information out of him. "I think this is your area, Hermione."

Hermione sighed. "I guess so," she said, before muttering, "I doubt you've read a book in your life." That prompted an argument that bore them all the way up to the castle and to the Hospital Wing, where Harry picked up his 'good as new' Fletchinder and returned to the common room.

* * *

Despite Hermione's assertions the lure of finding out what was hidden in the school was too much for either Harry or Ron to ignore and soon they found themselves spending whatever free time they had in the library, searching, in some vain, for even a hint about Nicolas Flamel.

"You'd think he'd be easy to find, since he has something that valuable," Ron opined but no matter how sound his logic was any mention of anyone by the name of Nicolas Flamel was completely absent from any of the books they searched.

So distracted were they with finding out just who Nicolas Flamel was, as well as keeping on top of all their homework and, in Harry's case, Quidditch practice three times a week, that December rolled in without their noticing until one morning they woke up to find the Hogwarts grounds covered in a thick layer of snow.

"Christmas is coming, I can feel it," Ron said happily, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. They were out in one of the courtyards, each with a book on great Pokémon trainers of the twentieth century, and it was absolutely freezing, not that that would spoil Ron's mood.

Not that Harry wasn't excited as well. For the first time in his life, or rather for as long as he could remember, he wouldn't have to spend Christmas with the Dursley's. It was always the same at Number 4, Privet Drive. The beautifly decorated Christmas tree, the lovingly baked mince pies, the enormous pile of expensive presents under the tree, and Harry, sitting in the corner as though he wasn't supposed to be there.

Harry had jumped at the opportunity to remain at Hogwarts for the holidays, signing up his name to stay as soon as he could, not for a moment having to put any thought into the matter.

Ron was staying too. His parents and sister were going to visit his brother Charlie at the dragon reserve in Romania, to which Ron told Harry, 'who needs Romania, we've got a dragon just downstairs'. Harry of course new better than to think that was the real reason Ron was staying, specifically remembering Ron referring to his last visit to Charlie as his best holiday ever. No, the real reason was that he didn't want to leave Harry alone at Christmas.

They were to be pretty much the only ones to choose to stay behind. Aside from the remaining Weasley brothers it seemed like everyone in Gryffindor was going home for the holidays, Hermione was going skiing in the Alps for a week, and it seemed like the other houses followed suit.

Draco Malfoy had in their last Pokémon Physiology class declared very loudly that he felt sorry for those that had to stay at Hogwarts because no one wanted them at home, with Harry sitting two rows in front easily hearing every word.

In fact Malfoy had been a particular menace to Harry for quite some time now. Stinging from the loss of the Slytherin Quidditch team to Gryffindor and sore over the fact that he now realised McGonagall had got Harry Fletchinder specifically so he could play Seeker, Malfoy had been taking every opportunity to mock and belittle Harry whenever they were within earshot of each other. Harry even heard that he'd tried to incite a rebellion against him by telling people about how he got Fletchinder, but no one really seemed to care, more impressed that Harry had been able to outclass a Seeker with four years experience on him than anything else.

Still it was annoying to have a constant reminder that the Dursley's couldn't care less if he lived or died so Harry was grateful that Malfoy, too, was leaving for the holidays.

The weeks passed and classes stopped and suddenly Harry woke up to find the castle nearly deserted.

"Blimey, not sure I'll get used to this," Ron commented as the two made their way alone down to breakfast on the first day of the holidays. They were almost at the Entrance Hall and had yet to bump into anyone at all. "There's always so many people at home, I've never seen a building this quiet."

For Harry it was quite peaceful. Though he was having the time of his life at Hogwarts he did find it a bit overwhelming at times, and two weeks with a virtually empty castle to explore seemed like just what the doctor ordered.

Their days leading up until Christmas followed a usual pattern. Everyday they would get up late and go down for some breakfast, where the Weasley twins would join them. After this they would either return to the common room and play Pokémon trainer games or head outside and indulge themselves in huge snowball fights, which Fred and George always won as their Kecleon could sneak up on them undetected.

Harry had also taken the opportunity to use his free time to teach Charmander a new move. It was called Smokescreen, and when used correctly created a cloud of smoke which completely obscured the opponents vision. Harry felt this could be very useful in Pokémon battles, remembering what Hermione had said about how non damaging moves can be effective, like HootHoot's Hypnosis. Needless to say this caused a number of accidents in the days leading up to Christmas.

One thing Harry and Ron didn't do, and they felt quite guilty about it, was look for any more books that might mention Nicolas Flamel. Before she left Hermione had made them promise they would keep looking while she was away and the boys had assured her they would, but between the snowball fights and Pokémon boardgames and the near endless stories and tales from the Weasley twins researching what it was hidden within the castle had fallen to the wayside.

Any bad thoughts Harry had about this, however, were forgotten when he woke up on Christmas morning to find a pile of presents at the end of his bed.

"Mornin'," Ron grumbled, still half asleep and shielding his eyes from the sun shining through the window.

"Morning," Harry replied with a smile. "Would you look at this? Presents?"

"Yeah, I see," Ron said tiredly, crawling along to the end of his bed towards his own, larger pile. "Seems like a good haul this year. Must be a going to Hogwarts thing."

As Ron started ripping through his presents, Growlithe enthusiastically biting and ripping the wrapping paper to help, Harry looked down at his gifts in wonder. Never, in his whole life, had he ever got so much for Christmas. The Dursley's certainly celebrated Christmas but while Dudley had always been given the newest games console or cool new clothes Harry had always been left to settle for scraps; things like an old comb, or a few marbles. And for the life of him he had no idea who would bother to send him anything. He started to unwrap them.

"Another jumper from mum; maroon, as usual," Ron muttered, holding up the offending article of clothing with a displeased look on his face. "Same every year, I keep telling her I hate maroon." He looked over the mountain of mangled wrapping paper. "What did you get, Harry?"

Harry was only halfway through his parcels, taking his time with each and every new gift he received. So far he'd got himself chocolate from Hermione and Neville, Hermione's package containing an amusing note about how her parents wouldn't approve. Hermione's parents were dentists.

Ron's present had been, surprisingly, a book. However it all made sense to Harry when he looked at the title and found that it was a book on flying type Pokémon with an aim of evaluating them as Seekers, the page for Fletchinder helpfully bookmarked.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had sent Harry a pair of grey socks, which surprised Harry as he hadn't expected them to bother at all. And lastly Hagrid had got Harry a beautiful white flute, which appeared to be made of glass and, according to a small note from Hagrid, could be used to attract wild Pokémon. Harry gave an experimental blow on it; it sounded a bit like an owl.

There was only one present left to be unwrapped and as Harry picked it up Ron flushed.

"I think I know what that is," Ron said with an embarrassed look on his face. "I told my mum you weren't expecting anything for Christmas and… oh, no, she gave you a Weasley jumper."

Harry had opened the package and, sure enough, there was a rather warm, emerald green jumper inside, along with a small box of homemade fudge.

"Well, at least it's not maroon," Ron said, looking on the bright side.

"That was really nice of her," Harry said, touched that the friendly woman he'd only spent a few minutes talking to had included him in what was obviously a family tradition. With that thought, and to Ron's increasing embarrassment, Harry pulled the jumper over his head.

"What do you think?" he asked, showing it off to Charmander and Fletchinder. They both gave noises of appreciation and Harry smiled. "Me too," he agreed, before turning back to Ron. "Let your mother know I like it, won't you."

Ron's face was now completely red but he nodded anyway.

"We should be getting down to breakfast," Ron eventually told him, shoving all his loose wrapping paper away. "Hey, you don't think you could get rid of all this, could you Growlithe?" Growlithe gave out a cheerful bark before staring down the pile of loose paper and hitting it with an Ember attack.

"Wait up," Harry said quickly gathering up his own loose paper and throwing it on the pile. "Charmander and Fletchinder can help too." Together the three fire types fired off their attacks at the mountain of paper and soon enough it was crackling merrily and crumpling in on itself as it was reduced to ash.

"Whew, what's going on in here?" Fred said, waving his arm through the air to try and dispel some of the smoke that had built up.

"Looks to me like we have a bonfire," George noted, kneeling down next to the burning remains of their wrapping paper. "Smart, we just throw our old paper out the window."

"Merry Christmas," Harry greeted with a smile. The smoke had built up quite a bit but now that Fred and George had opened the door it was starting to dissipate out into the staircase and Harry could see that, like himself and Ron, Fred and George had gotten their own jumpers, except they were blue and had a single large yellow letter on each, F for Fred and G for George.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," Fred answered. "Hey, look at that George, young Harry's got a jumper too."

"Give him red hair and he could be a Weasley," George grinned.

"And you Ron, another smashing Maroon number," Fred turned his attention on his brother, who had been fruitlessly trying to slip his Weasley jumper surreptitiously under his bed. He groaned.

"Come on Ron, get it on, let's get some Weasley solidarity going here," George told him, pulling the jumper out of his slack grip and jamming it over his head.

"There's no letter on his," Fred noted as Ron struggled to get his head free of the garment.

"I guess mum must think he won't forget his name," George said with a mock sadness. "How little faith she has in us." He gave a dramatic sniff.

"I'm not sure the letters are for your benefit," Harry commented dryly, distracting the twins from Ron's struggles. The twins looked at each other.

"You're right," they said together and within a few seconds they had swapped jumpers, George now adorned with an F and Fred proudly displaying a G.

"What's going on here?" Percy Weasley appeared, his nose raised high in the air in an attempt to avoid breathing in the lingering smoke.

"Percy!" Fred cried out cheerfully, throwing an arm enthusiastically over his brother's shoulder. "And you've got your Weasley jumper on already. Perfect."

"Get off, George," Percy replied with a small scowl, and a surreptitious glance at the G on Fred's chest. Fred and George exchanged victorious looks. "I just came to investigate where all this smoke is coming from, it's spreading all the way up to the fifth year dorms."

"Sorry Percy," Harry said with a sheepish smile. "We thought it would be a good idea to burn the wrapping paper but, eh, we forgot about the smoke." Percy held Harry's gaze for a moment and then sighed.

"I won't tell McGonagall about this," he said. "But please remember you should not start fires indoor. At the very least you should have opened the windows." Harry nodded. Fred, however, swooned.

"Ah, Percy, so kind," he told him, batting his eyes adoringly up at his brother. "And so smart." Percy looked solidly disturbed by this but simply responded by shrugging himself loose.

"See you all at breakfast," he told them stiffly before disappearing down the stairs.

Christmas would be a day Harry would never forget. After breakfast the Weasley twins were able to convince some of the remaining Hufflepuff students to challenge them to what amounted to a snowball war, with the Hufflepuffs on one side and Harry, Ron, the twins and a very disgruntled Percy on the other. Percy became even more disgruntled when, halfway through the fight, Fred and George decided to hit him with a sneak attack, thereby breaking up the teams and leading to an every man for themselves scenario. The twins were winning up until the moment Hagrid came upon them and, seemingly impervious to the multiple snowballs hitting him in the face, dumped a giant mound on the twins' heads.

Finally they all agreed to head back inside, drying their clothes by the fire until it was time to return downstairs for Christmas dinner. The four house tables, as well as the teachers table, were gone, and instead there was a single circular table in the middle of the room for the few habitants of the castle to share. Some, like Professor Snape, didn't look too pleased with the new arrangements but others, like Professor Dumbledore, joined in the festivities as enthusiastically as even the Weasley twins, who had somehow managed to situate themselves on either side of a highly suspicious Professor McGonagall. What followed was a night of incredible food and lively conversation where Harry pulled crackers with pretty much every other person there, winning numerous tiny toys and corny jokes which were read out dramatically for the whole table to laugh at.

Eventually, tired and full to the brim, the Gryffindor's headed back up to Gryffindor tower, where they sat around the fire and traded Christmas stories, and Charmander got on Percy's bad side with his dramatic retelling of the morning present opening, smoke included.

With that Percy left and that signalled the end of the night, each of the boys returning to their beds and, with a few sleepy yawns and good nights, drifted off to sleep.


	11. Nicolas Flamel

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

While Harry had enjoyed the peace and quiet of the castle during the holidays he did start to feel a bit isolated after a while so it was quite a relief when, just over a week after Christmas, the rest of the school returned.

"I can't believe you two," Hermione scolded them, a few days after term started. They were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, classes having just finished for the day, and were whiling away a few minutes before going down to dinner.

Ron shrugged. "Sorry," he said, looking far from it. Hermione huffed.

"Two weeks you two were here, with one of the biggest libraries on Pokémon in the world right under your noses, and you didn't even look for Nicolas Flamel," Hermione lectured them, looking at them sternly.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry said, feeling bad. After all, he wanted to find out what was being hidden in the school as much as she did.

"Humph," Hermione replied, but she appeared slightly mollified by his honesty. "Well, lucky for you I wasn't as lax in my research." She pulled a large book out from under the table and dropped it in front of them with a thud.

"What, you mean you actually found something?" Ron asked, incredulous. Hermione nodded.

"After I got back from Switzerland I convinced mum and dad to let me visit Diagon Alley," she told them. "That's where I found this book. I didn't realise it at first, I actually just bought the book for a bit of light reading, but this book tells us exactly what is hidden beneath that trap door." She flipped the book open to a bookmarked page.

"Mr Nicolas Flamel, born in 1327, is famous for many discoveries in the world of Pokémon artefacts," Hermione read. "The one discovery for which he is most famous for however, is the discovery of the Sacred Ash. The Sacred Ash, though its origins are not known for sure, is believed to have originated from the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh. While it is unknown how Mr Flamel came across this rare and valuable item it is believed that he has found a way to use the unique properties of the Sacred Ash to grant himself eternal life. Mr Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty eight)."

"He's still alive," Ron gasped as Hermione finished.

"Eternal life," Hermione repeated. "Nicolas Flamel has been able to use the Sacred Ash to live forever, theoretically, and I bet you that he asked Dumbledore to look after the Sacred Ash as soon as he got wind that someone was trying to steal it. Here, there's a picture." Hermione turned the book around and slid it across the table for Harry and Ron to look at.

On the page next to the text was the image of a small metallic ball, with the top half seemingly missing. There seemed to be some sort of opening mechanism to the sphere for shards of metal jutted out regularly along the rim, looking as though they would connect at the top if they were extended. And inside the sphere lay the ash, looking for all the world like regular ash, except they seemed to glow with a soft orange light from its very core.

"That's it," Harry said. "It must be, it's the right size, and something like that would be sure to need protection. I just wonder who could be after it."

"Who wouldn't?" Ron countered. "An item to stop you ever dying, who wouldn't want to steal it?"

"Yeah, but to risk being caught by Dumbledore and the Kadabra of Gringotts," Harry argued. "You've got to really want it."

"I don't think that's what we should be worried about," Hermione interrupted, frowning. "I think we should be more concerned by the fact that, whoever is trying to steal the Ash, they are clearly very powerful. They were able to let loose a herd of Ursaring into the castle right under Dumbledore's nose, and they were able to break into Gringotts without getting caught. This is no common thief, this person knows what they're doing."

Who could be after the Sacred Ash wasn't a question that Harry felt they were going to get an answer to any time soon, especially considering the only real suspects they had were people who had been inside the castle on Halloween, which essentially meant one of Dumbledore's trusted staff members was trying to steal from him.

Nevertheless as the weeks went by Harry found himself thinking less and less about the Sacred Ash and the mysterious thief and more and more on the next Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.

Despite having already played, and the fact that Gryffindor-Hufflepuff matches didn't have the same rivalry as Gryffindor-Slytherin did, Harry couldn't help the nerves that grew inside him as the day of the match drew close.

Last time no one had known he would be playing, so he had been largely left alone in the build up to the game. This time was different. Everywhere Harry walked in the weeks preceding the match Slytherin's turned and sneered, some even attempting to trip him up as he passed in the corridors. It seemed they still remembered their defeat to Gryffindor and were determined to do everything possible to make them lose focus.

The Hufflepuff's, by contrast, were a friendly lot. Nevertheless there were plenty of times when a Hufflepuff student would jokingly shout out that they were going to flatten Gryffindor on the pitch. There wasn't anything mean spirited about it but it still increased Harry's anxiety every time.

Wood, meanwhile, was heaping his own pressure on Harry. Quidditch practice was upped to five times a week, meaning Harry barely had time to keep up with his homework, let alone get a moment to relax. He didn't necessarily blame Oliver. He understood that this was the best chance Gryffindor had of winning the Quidditch Cup in a long time. But that was just more pressure.

The result of all of this was that Harry, if anything, was more nervous going into his second game than he was in his first.

"Captains, shake hands," Madame Hooch ordered as Wood and the Seventh year Hufflepuff Seeker had a warm handshake before returning to their respective sides.

"On my whistle," Madame Hooch called, the whole stadium silent as they waited for the game to begin. "Three, two, one!" And they were off.

"Keep an eye out for any surprise attacks," Harry muttered to Fletchinder. He honestly didn't expect any, Hufflepuff were known for playing fair, but he didn't feel comfortable doing nothing, the nerves in his body needing him to act.

"Lopunny with the Quaffle, looks like she's going alone! Nope, reverse pass to Hitmonlee and that's a goal for Gryffindor!" Lee announced, the red and gold part of the stands exploding with noise. Harry glanced down at the pitch below. Clearly the Gryffindor team were superior to their Hufflepuff counterparts, and unlike with the Slytherins the Hufflepuff team weren't going to try to rough them up. The only way they could lose this is if Harry wasn't able to catch the snitch.

"Hitmontop, over to Lopunny. Great interception by Ambipom but he can't quite control it and Hitmonlee regains possession, passes to- wait a moment, the snitch has been released!"

Harry jumped. The game had barely started but sure enough the balloon holding the snitch ring had floated out from behind the stands and his opponent, a tough looking Skarmory, was already heading for it.

"Quick Fletchinder!" Harry yelled, Fletchinder responding immediately. "Flame Charge!" Fletchinder was never going to beat Skarmory to the snitch, Harry had reacted too late, but if the last game had taught him anything it was that the game isn't over until the snitch hits the pole.

"Skarmory, use Metal Sound!" Skarmory stopped just short of the snitch and turned to face the approaching Fletchinder, unleashing a horrible screeching sound like metal rubbing against metal, the sound causing Harry to cover his ears in pain.

"Ugh," Harry said as the noise ended, shaking his head to rid himself of the ringing in his ears. As he looked up however he noticed Skarmory was making its way back to its trainer. "Fletchinder, follow it with Quick Attack!"

Fletchinder did as instructed, quickly catching up and striking the opposing Skarmory. Unfortunately Skarmory took the hit and continued on, ignoring the damage.

"Flame Charge!" Harry shouted, desperate to disrupt Skarmory's flight for long enough to get a grip of the snitch. Fletchinder crashed into Skarmory but again Skarmory endured. "Again!" Fletchinder hit again and again but Skarmory held on and, though its progress had slowed, it was nearing the Hufflepuff pole.

"Use Ember, Fletchinder!" Harry called, desperately trying to do anything to stop Skarmory short. The embers struck Skarmory on the back, the weathered Pokémon looking as though it was going to faint at any moment, but it seemed to gain heart by how close it was to its goal and continued on. Less than a meter from the pole Harry gave up hope.

Then Skarmory burst into flames.

Harry looked on, shocked, before realising what must have happened. Fletchinder, with its ability Flame Body, must have inflicted a burn upon Skarmory with all those physical attacks, with Ember being the last straw.

"Grab the Snitch!" Harry shouted, not wanting to give Skarmory any time to recover. Fletchinder swooped, stealing the snitch from Skarmory's weakened grasp, and shot back towards Harry. But he didn't need to worry, Skarmory had no interest in following as it landed exhausted next to its trainer and Fletchinder was able to comfortably place the snitch on the Gryffindor pole.

"Harry Potter has caught the snitch!" Lee Jordan announced over the cheers of the crowd. "Gryffindor win by one hundred and eighty points to ten!"

Harry let out a huge breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding before letting out a weak smile. That had been a close one. His smile got more real as Fletchinder flew over and he stroked the flying type's head, praising him on a great performance as their balloon descended down to his waiting teammates.

"We did it!" Wood roared, pulling Harry out of the balloon before it had even touched the ground. "One more match! One more match!" Harry grinned.

* * *

For the weeks and months that followed Harry felt like he was on top of the world. Having won both the games against Slytherin and Hufflepuff he was a hero within Gryffindor, with his fellow housemates slapping him on the back and giving him thumbs up when they passed him in the corridors.

Wood was the worst of them. Whenever the two met Wood always assured him that the cup was as good as theirs, looking so confident in his assertion that Harry felt embarrassed. Almost as soon as the game against Hufflepuff was over Wood had resumed their busy training schedule from before, and probably would've added more sessions if it wasn't for the Ravenclaws and Slytherins needing to practice for their upcoming match.

It was an important one too. Ravenclaw had beaten Hufflepuff earlier in the season, by a large margin too, meaning that if they beat Slytherin then it would be winner takes all in the final game of the year, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. However if Slytherin won they could still win the title, so long as Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor by enough points. Either way Gryffindor needed to beat Ravenclaw, Wood was keen to remind them, and so training remained intense.

This wouldn't have been a problem for Harry if it wasn't for the increased workload in the other part of his life. With the May exams fast approaching the amount of homework assigned to the first year students was getting worse and worse, so much so that even Hermione, who always completed her assignments as soon as they were given out, was feeling the pressure.

"Leppa berry, Leppa berry," she muttered to herself one Saturday morning while she, Harry and Ron were, unbelievably, hard at work in the library.

"Raises the PP of a single move by ten," Harry said, fighting off a yawn as he turned the page of his book on Pokémon Physiology.

"I know that but what sort of Poffins can you make with it?" Hermione asked fretfully, tugging at a loose hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"Who cares?" Ron moaned. He'd planted his face in the pages of his Potions textbook ten minutes ago and had yet to look up.

"It might appear in our Herbology exam," Hermione said hurriedly. "I've been asking older students what berries they were asked about and most of them agreed that Leppa berries would be mentioned."

"You don't think they were just trying to get you to shut up," Ron said, rolling his head to the side so he could scowl up at Hermione. Hermione returned the look icily and turned in her seat, deliberately showing Ron her back. Harry, thinking the crisis was over, returned to his work.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?"

At first Harry thought he was hearing things but as he looked up, blinking sleep out of his eyes, he saw that Hagrid was indeed standing in front of them, looking very out of place in between the rows of shelves.

"Hey there, Hermione," Hagrid said happily, earning a disapproving look from Madam Pince, the librarian, for his loud voice. "Working hard?"

"Oh yes," Hermione said, looking quite pleased with herself. Ron groaned.

"I see that," Hagrid chuckled, observing the way Ron seemed mostly dead to the world. "Sorry ter say it won't be gettin' easier. The older students are in 'ere all the time."

"Kill me now," Ron moaned, eliciting another chuckle from Hagrid.

"Hey, Hagrid, can I ask you something?" Harry asked, straightening up slightly.

"Sure," Hagrid said happily, before a suspicious look crossed his face. "Unless it's about Fluffy," he said in a low voice. "Cause I told you, that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."

Harry hesitated.

"Uh, no, actually I was going to ask you about Fang," he said, holding up the Physiology book to show the picture of a Mightyena inside. "But since you mentioned it…"

Hagrid scowled. "I'm sayin' nothin'," he proclaimed, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. Unfortunately for him Ron and Hermione were interested now.

"Actually we've already figured most of it out," Harry admitted. "Hermione found Flamel in a book, so we know what, eh, 'Fluffy' is guarding."

"Yeah," Ron agreed enthusiastically. "And let me say I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some Sacred Ash if I were -"

"Shh," Hagrid said hurriedly, wide eyed as he turned to looked worriedly around the library. "What are yeh doin', shoutin' 'bout stuff like that. It could get yeh in real trouble if someone heard yeh."

"We're just curious," Hermione insisted. "And since we already know what Fluffy is guarding what harm will it do to talk to us about it?"

Hagrid sighed. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "But not here," he added. "Meet me down at me hut and we'll 'ave some lunch." He looked a bit excited. "I've got somethin' ter show yeh." Hagrid wandered off after that, a heavy book clutched in his hand, whistling, for which he was getting death glares from Madam Pince.

"What was all that about?" Ron wondered aloud, now fully awake.

"It was weird, wasn't it," Hermione agreed, looking a bit nervous. "You don't think he's doing anything dangerous, do you?" Ron snorted.

"Dangerous," he laughed. Madam Pince looked awfully close to storming over to their table. "He raised Hydreigon, remember. I can't imagine anything getting the better of Hagrid. What do you think, Harry?"

Harry hmm'ed, chewing distractedly on the end of his pencil. Something was definitely going on with Hagrid, something that he was excited about. And considering what Harry knew about Hagrid it almost certainly Pokémon related.

"I guess we should go meet him," Hermione said after Harry didn't answer. "That's the only way we'll find out for sure."

"Yeah, let's go," Harry agreed, standing up and closing his textbook.

"What, now?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Yeah," Harry said, confused by her expression.

"But what about the exams?" Hermione said hurriedly. "We've got to revise. They won't let us back in if we don't do really well in our exams."

"Geez, Hermione, just relax once in a while, okay," Ron said, like Harry rising to his feet. Harry suspected Ron would have agreed to paint Gryffindor Tower green just to get away from the library.

"But… the exams…" Hermione repeated weakly.

"It'll be fine," Harry assured her. It wasn't like Hermione was going to have any trouble getting good grades.

"Yeah, fine," Ron agreed. "I mean, if Fred and George haven't been chucked out by now you won't be." As crude as that argument was it was enough to convince Hermione that an hour or two away from the library was not the end of the world and together the three of them packed up their things and headed out onto the grounds and down to Hagrid's cabin.

"Ah, it's good to get some fresh air," Ron said with a smile. Growlithe seemed to agree as he was running around their legs excitedly, chasing Charmander as HootHoot and Fletchinder soared above them.

The weather had started to take a turn for the better as Spring rolled around. There had been rain the night before leaving the grass wet underfoot but the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Harry honestly didn't think he would have had it in him to stay in the library even if Hagrid hadn't invited them around for lunch.

They reached the door to Hagrid's hut quicker than they would have liked, the walk down being as peaceful as it was, but nevertheless they knocked on the door. There was some scrabbling, the familiar sound of Fang barking, and then Hagrid opened the door.

"Hey, it's you," Hagrid said happily, pulling the door the rest of the way open, causing Fang to immediately bound out towards them and tackle Ron to the floor, eagerly licking his face. "Leave 'im Fang, there's a good boy," Hagrid said as he convinced the Mightyena to return inside.

"I must say I'm surprised yeh all came down here so early," Hagrid commented, carrying over a large plate of equally large cakes. "I suppose yeh're that eager for answers, huh," his enthusiasm dropped slightly.

"Well, yeah," Harry said, slightly guiltily. It occurred to him then that he hadn't been down to visit as often recently, due to his increased workload and Quidditch practice. "I'm sorry I haven't been down lately," he said quickly. "I feel awful."

Hagrid waved him away. "Don't think about it," he told him. "I know how busy you kids get around exam time, and with Gryffindor with a chance ter win the Quidditch Cup, eh, I'm surprised Wood lets yeh out of his sight." Harry smiled at Hagrid's comment. Still, he promised himself he'd make more of an effort to visit his first friend in the Pokémon world.

"Alright, let's set up some ground rules," Hagrid said, sitting down roughly at the table and giving them all a stern expression. "I'll answer yer questions but only once. After today I don't want ter hear any mention of Sacred Ash, or Flamel, or anythin', got it?" They nodded. "Alright, ask yer questions?"

Predictably, Hermione started.

"We're right that Fluffy's guarding the Sacred Ash, aren't we?" she asked quickly, barely pausing for breath.

"That's right," Hagrid nodded.

"Do you know who would want to steal it?" Ron asked. "I mean, loads of people would want it but to actually steal it…" Hagrid shrugged.

"Who knows," he said. "But Dumbledore got wind that someone wants it and if that someone broke into Gringotts they're a force to be reckoned with. I wasn't lying when I said yeh'd be mad ter try and rob them Kadabra."

There was a pause as Harry, Ron and Hermione wondered what to ask next.

"We know the trap door under Fluffy leads to the Sacred Ash," Harry said slowly. "But is there anything else protecting the Ash. It can't just be Fluffy, not if someone broke into Gringotts for it."

Hagrid shook his head. "All the professors put in an obstacle," he informed them. "Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrel and Snape. Fluffy's just the first obstacle, and not much of one at that. He's a right ol' softy." Harry chose to ignore that comment and instead focused on the rest of the question.

"What are the obstacles?" he asked.

Hagrid fixed him with a stern look. "You think I'm goin' ter tell yeh that?" he asked. "Knowin' you three yeh'll go 'ave a look yourself if I tell yeh how. No, the less yeh know the better. Yeh already 'ave seen things yeh shouldn't." Harry, Ron and Hermione had the decency to look ashamed at their past transgressions.

"Oh, don't look like that," Hagrid said, his expression calming. "It's not yer fault yeh went lookin' for Fluffy," he admitted. "If I'd heard there's a Hydreigon in the castle I'd have done the same thing." He smiled at the three of them, lightening the mood.

"Hey, Hagrid, would you mind opening a window?" Ron asked, pulling at his shirt which was sticking to him slightly.

"Er, sorry Ron, can't do that," Hagrid said regretfully.

"Hagrid, _why_ is it so hot in here?" Harry asked, frowning. He hadn't paid much attention to it before but now that Ron brought it up it was absolutely roasting inside Hagrid's cabin. All the windows were closed but on top of that there was a fire roaring in the fireplace and Harry had to wonder how Hagrid, wearing as many layers as he was, hadn't passed out from heat exhaustion.

Hagrid on the other hand started to look excited. "Come, have a look," he said excitedly, getting up from his seat and inexplicably moving towards the fire.

"Hagrid, what…?" Hermione asked before she gasped, staring into the fire. Harry and Ron quickly rushed over to see what she was looking at.

"Is that…?" Ron whispered, disbelieving.

"Yep," Hagrid said proudly. "A Pokémon egg."

"A Pokémon egg?" Harry repeated, ignoring the heat and moving closer to get a better look. The egg was quite large, much larger than a chicken's egg, and was a pale blue colour with a cream splash over the top.

"It's not just any egg," Hagrid said proudly. "It's a dragon egg." Everyone in the room sucked in a breath.

"Dragon?" Ron repeated. "Blimey Hagrid, that must have cost you a fortune. Dragon eggs are extremely rare, probably the most rare of any type of Pokémon."

"I know," said Hagrid. "I still can't believe my luck. I was just down in the village, in the Hog's Head havin' a few drinks an' I got into a game of cards with some guy. He said he had the parents but didn't have the time to raise a baby Pokémon so he said if I beat him at cards I could 'ave the egg. And I did."

"Wow, lucky," Ron commented, while Hermione raised her eyebrows. Maybe, like Harry, she thought it seemed too much of a coincidence, but at the same time Harry couldn't see what anyone would have to gain by giving Hagrid a dragon egg.

"You guys worry too much," Ron proclaimed as the three of them headed back up to the castle.

"And you not enough," Hermione countered, but still she wasn't able to suggest any plausible reason as to why Hagrid would be tricked into getting the dragon egg and so she dropped it and Harry, with more than enough to keep him busy, soon forgot all about his suspicions. Especially as he now had one more thing to look forward to - the day the egg hatched.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying the story. I just wanted to bring up something from a review I saw that I thought would be a good idea to share with you. I saw that there was someone who suggested some ideas for Pokémon that members of the trio could have and unfortunately I have to say that there will be no Generation 7 Pokémon featured in this story.

I know pretty much everyone has at least one Gen 7 Pokémon that they would like to see in the story but because of the fact that a lot of the plot I've thought up was before the release of Sun and Moon, or just after when I didn't know the Pokémon very well, none of my plot is centred around Gen 7 Pokémon. So that means no Alolan forms and no Ultra Beasts either. I know I could just have Gen 7 Pokémon make minor appearances but I just feel like they would be shoehorned in and would stick out obviously from the rest of the story. Plus it is entirely possible a Generation 8 game will be released before this series is finished so it's good to have a cut off for what Pokémon I do and do not include beforehand.

I know lots of people will be disappointed by this but hopefully you'll stick with this story anyway. After all there are over 700 Pokémon still to work with.

That's goodbye from me for now though and I hope to see you all in the next chapter.


	12. Norbert

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

Unfortunately the dragon egg didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to hatch, looking just the same each and every time Harry, Ron and Hermione came to visit. Hagrid assured them that some eggs just took more time to hatch than others, but that did little to lessen their frustration that the egg remained still.

That was the case for nearly three weeks until, at the very end of April, Harry, Ron and Hermione came down to Hagrid's hut and were ushered in with huge anticipation.

"You came right in time," Hagrid whispered to them as they crowded around the egg. "It's been movin' all morning. Any moment now…" they waited with baited breath, watching as the egg wriggled, hairline cracks stretching across what had previously been a smooth surface. They waited five minutes, then ten, before the silence was finally broken by a sharp crack.

The egg glowed and seemed to expand, cracks filling the air as the egg shell broke apart and the Pokémon within started to emerge. The light grew and grew before eventually it started to dim revealing, standing in the remains of its used shell, a small blue Pokémon.

"Isn't he beautiful," Hagrid crooned, looking down at the Pokémon with loving eyes. Harry pulled out his Pokédex.

"Bagon," it said. "The Rock Head Pokémon. Bagon has a dream of one day soaring in the sky. In doomed efforts to fly, this Pokémon hurls itself off cliffs. As a result of its dives, its head has grown tough and as hard as tempered steel."

"Bagon," the newly hatched Pokémon said, stretching its short stubby arms before looking around the room.

"Hey there Bagon," Hagrid said, reaching out a hand to the Pokémon. "It's really nice to meet you."

Bagon looked at Hagrid's hand for a second before it jumped up, slamming its head into Hagrid's stomach and knocking him, and the chair he was sitting on, to the ground.

"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted in surprise. "Hagrid, are you alright?!"

"Fine," Hagrid said quickly, waving her away as he struggled to sit up. Bagon had already run off, now charging around the rest of the hut forcing Charmander and Growlithe to dodge out of its way as it charged forward, head bowed to clear its path. It was only stopped short from crashing straight through Hagrid's wall by Aragog, who spit out a line of string which wrapped around Bagon's foot and stuck him to the floor.

"Don't be frightened Bagon," Hagrid said comfortingly, approaching where the Pokémon had stopped on his knees, causing the Pokémon to look at him. "We're all friends here. Why don't yeh just calm down."

"Char-mander," Charmander agreed, walking forward to talk to the Pokémon now that he was no longer running wild.

"Growl," Growlithe added as he too approached. HootHoot fluttered over from where it had been standing on the back of Hermione's chair and Fletchinder dropped down from the rafters to say hello.

"Ba Bagon," Bagon said, gesturing towards Aragog's silk that was keeping him stuck to the floor. Charmander was quick to hit it with an Ember attack, burning the silk away and leaving Bagon with full freedom of movement.

"See," Hagrid said. "All friends." Bagon looked up at him, head cocked to one side.

"Tell yeh what, how about I name yeh," Hagrid suggested with a grin. "Wha' about… Norbert, eh? That's a good name, right?" Bagon seemed to consider this for a moment before he let out a happy cry and jumped at Hagrid.

"Ha ha," Hagrid chuckled as he caught the Pokémon in his arms. "So Norbert it is then," he said, smiling down at his new Pokémon, snuggled up in his arms.

Harry, Ron and Hermione would have spent the rest of the day playing with Norbert, who seemed to have near endless energy since hatching, but unfortunately they had classes after lunch and so had to bid Hagrid and his Pokémon goodbye and head back up to the castle.

They visited Hagrid and Norbert often over the next few weeks, as often as they could afford to as they each took great pleasure in helping Hagrid look after the energetic young Pokémon. Unlike the Pokémon that Harry, Ron and Hermione had, Bagon required near constant care. He was not yet capable of eating solid food like most Pokémon did and he had to be watched at all times so he didn't get lost or hurt himself, since he had never experienced so many things that were a part of day to day life. And with Norbert's energy he needed extra caution.

Not that Harry felt he was doing much better than the young dragon type. Exams were just a couple of weeks away and now it seemed like every waking moment was spent revising what he'd learnt over the course of the year, making his time with Norbert and playing Quidditch the only breaks he got.

Hermione and Ron were struggling too, but in their own ways. Hermione, it seemed, had worked it into her head that she was wholly unprepared for the exams, despite the fact that no one had done more work in preparing than she had. She had taken to making a revision schedule that she adhered to strictly, and the worst thing was that she expected Harry and Ron to abide by it too.

Ron was having none of it. In Ron's opinion he'd already done more than his fair share of revision and his belief was that if he didn't know it by now then there was simply no way he was going to be able to learn it in time for the exam.

As could be expected, what with the two philosophies being so at odds with each other, Hermione and Ron argued on a near daily basis, which didn't make it any easier for Harry. One Saturday night, after a long day of memorising potion ingredients, Harry had finally had enough.

"They just won't shut up," he moaned, placing his head down despairingly on the wooden table. He'd taken refuge in Hagrid's hut to get away from yet another Ron and Hermione shouting match, the gamekeeper's house having become something of a safe zone for him over the last few weeks.

"Don't worry too much about it," Hagrid assured him, taking the seat across from the boy and passing him a large cup of tea. "I've seen this happen every year. Students always get stressed around exam times but yeh know what, it always works out. I promise yeh Harry."

Harry gave a small, grateful smile. "Thanks Hagrid," he said. "Now if you could only convince Hermione of that." Hagrid chuckled, reaching down to scratch Charmander under the chin. Fletchinder wasn't with them today, having taken a rough fall during Quidditch practice and requiring an overnight stay in the hospital wing, so it was only Harry and Charmander tonight.

"Yeh know, yeh should be gettin' back ter the castle," Hagrid told him, looking out the window at the darkening sky. "Wouldn't want yeh ter get caught bein' out after hours."

Harry grimaced. "I suppose you're right," he admitted unhappily. "Maybe they'll have calmed down by now." He didn't hold much hope. He drained what was left of his tea and got up, saying goodnight to Hagrid before opening up the front door.

"Hagrid," he said, stopping halfway through the threshold. "Hagrid, look at this."

Hagrid followed him out quickly, looking curious and immediately spotting the reason Harry had called for him. A Ponyta stood only a few strides from Hagrid's front door and looked very agitated, shifting on its feet restlessly and pawing at the ground.

"Hey there," Hagrid said, his voice soft. "Are yeh alright?" Ponyta snorted and reared its head. "Yeh hurt?" Ponyta snorted again, shaking its head again. Instead it backed up slightly and half turned to face the forest. "Yeh need my help?" Ponyta nodded.

"Alright then," Hagrid said, quickly reaching inside the door to his hut and grabbing his enormous rucksack. "C'mon Fang, Aragog, we got work ter do."

"Can I come?" Harry asked as Fang and Aragog followed Hagrid outside the cabin.

Hagrid frowned. "I'm not so sure 'bout that, Harry," he said. "It's late."

"I want to help," Harry insisted. On his shoulder Charmander nodded passionately in agreement. Hagrid looked at him thoughtfully, taking his time to decide before he was distracted by a new arrival. Norbert had charged out of the cabin after them and had collided hard with the back of Hagrid's legs.

"This ain't the time fer yeh ter see the forest, Norbert," Hagrid told the baby Pokémon in a gentle voice. Norbert looked disappointed as Hagrid returned him safely to his Pokéball.

"Alright Harry," Hagrid said, straightening up. "But yeh have ter do exactly as I tell yeh, alright. We don't know where we're headin' to so yeh stick close, okay." Harry nodded eagerly. Hagrid sighed before turning back to Ponyta. "Let's go."

Ponyta set off at a trot, continually looking backwards to check that they were following before continuing on a few more steps. They quickly entered the trees and continued to wander onwards, Harry soon losing sight of the forests edge as the walked deeper and deeper into the foliage.

By the time Ponyta brought them to a halt the sun had truly set and the only sources of light came from the fire type's mane, Hagrid's flashlight, and Charmander's tail.

"Was it here?" Hagrid asked, steeping forward to examine the point Ponyta had stopped at. There was nothing there but something was clearly bothering Ponyta as it kept moving backwards and forwards, whinnying quietly in what, to Harry, appeared to be a very worried tone. Then Hagrid's flashlight caught something that glittered back at them.

"Blood," Hagrid said gravely, reaching out his fingers and dipping them into the crimson pool. "Quite fresh too. I reckon that whatever left it was here when Ponyta came searchin' for us."

"But it's not here anymore," Harry pointed out, glancing around them. It was very dark, even with the two fire types and Hagrid's torch, but Harry could tell that whatever had been here was long gone.

"No," Hagrid agreed. "No, it definitely moved on. Where is what we need ter find out." He shone his flashlight around them, searching the ground and the trees before he finally found what he was looking for.

"There," he said, taking a few steps forward. "More blood. Whatever it is headed off this way I reckon. C'mon, follow me."

Harry did as he was told, hurrying to stand next to the large form of Hagrid as he started to pick a path through the trees, following the trail of blood even deeper into the forest.

Harry wasn't sure if he was imagining it but he felt like something was seriously wrong about the situation. He thought Hagrid agreed, judging by his relative silence as he followed the trail, and even Ponyta was acting tense, no longer hopping around but instead taking very careful steps, its head swivelling in every direction as it looked through the trees.

"Hagrid?" Harry asked quietly, breaking the silence. "I was wondering, why would the Pokémon move? I mean, if it knew that help was coming why didn't it stay where it was?" Harry couldn't see Hagrid's expression clearly but he imagined it looked grim.

"Well," Hagrid replied, just as quietly. "It's possible that the injuries, and the blood loss, have left the poor creature confused and hallucinating, which might make it wonder off."

"But you don't think that happened," Harry countered.

"No," Hagrid agreed. "I think it's more like somethin' else scared it away. An injured Pokémon doesn't usually move very far unless it feels threatened by somethin'." Hagrid gave a shake of his head. "All I know is we're heading into dangerous territory here, Harry. An' I don't like it one bit."

They both fell silent as a howl sounded through the forest.

"Sounds like a Houndoom," Hagrid muttered. "It's a long way off. Shouldn't trouble us." Harry nodded shakily and followed as Hagrid set off again, Fang leading the way, sniffing out the scent of blood and directing Hagrid onwards.

A soft rustle piqued Harry's attention as a small breeze flitted by, shaking the low hanging branches that covered their path. As Harry turned back to follow Hagrid an orange light caught his eye and he stopped, peering through the trees.

The light was flickering and Harry, without even noticing he was doing so, gently pushed the branches aside for a better view, and gasped at what he saw.

Before him was one of the most majestic Pokémon Harry had ever seen. The Rapidash must have been nearly as tall as Hagrid and its streamlined body and well toned muscles spoke of a strong Pokémon. But it was clearly hurt. Harry couldn't see the wound but he could make out the puddle of blood, just like on the trail they'd been following, streaming out from underneath Rapidash as it lay, exhausted, against a large tree trunk.

"Hagrid," Harry called, his voice startling him as it cut through the silence like a knife. He took a step forward as he heard Hagrid come to a stop, having not noticed Harry's disappearance, and stepped into the small clearing.

"I'm here to help," Harry promised as the Rapidash looked up at him nervously, Charmander echoing his promise. But Rapidash still seemed distressed and was trying to rise to its feet. "No, no, don't move. You'll hurt yourself."

And then a deep chill swept across the clearing.

"I won't hurt you," Harry spoke, his teeth chattering as he started to shake from the sudden cold, his breath forming a mist before him. "Please, trust me." But something else moved in the trees and Harry realised too late that this cold was not natural for a May evening.

Out from the trees behind the injured Rapidash a mist seemed to seep into the clearing, except this mist wasn't clear. It was dark and foreboding, and Harry shivered from something other than cold as it moved to surround the frightened Rapidash. Slowly it seemed to close in around the Pokémon and Rapidash stopped struggling, it's skin going pale, it's flame growing dim.

"No," Harry said, not even aware of wanting to speak. He quickly wished he hadn't though as the mist seemed to turn to face him, though it had no face. It got darker and darker and as it did the air around the clearing seemed to get thicker and thicker. Harry gasped for breath, feeling the air being stolen from his lungs as he tried to breath in, Charmander crying out in pain on his shoulder. He felt as though he was frozen in place and even though he couldn't bare to look at the sinister mist before him he found he couldn't turn away.

"Harry!" Hagrid came crashing onto the scene and gaped at the sight before him, taking in the terrible mist, the fallen Rapidash and Harry, standing rooted to the spot. "Fang, Shadow Ball!"

Fang came bounding forward bravely, a sphere of energy forming at his mouth which he threw at the mist. However the mist parted, the attack simply flying right through to strike the tree behind it.

"Bugger!" Hagrid shouted. "Come on Harry! Lets get out of here!" Hagrid tried to pull Harry away but, strong as he was, Harry was simply a dead weight, unable to move a muscle as he stared in horror as out of the mist appeared two dark, sinister red eyes.

"Harry!" Hagrid shouted again as Fang joined him in trying to get the boy moving. The mist was moving forward now, so so slowly, as though it was enjoying the feeling of capturing its prey. Fang whimpered as the mist covered his tail, jumping back and whining, his tail between his legs as he cowered away from the awful mist. "Harry!"

And then a light, a bright, shining, all encompassing light shone through the clearing, blinding Harry completely. His eyes useless, all he could hear was a terrible, horrifying scream, a scream that seemed to cut right through to his soul and reverberate around his head long after the sound stopped.

He staggered, falling to the ground blinking in shock as the bright light suddenly dimmed. Abruptly he found he could breath again and so he gulped down the fresh air greedily as he felt his heart beat race.

The menacing fog had gone and instead the clearing was bathed in a pure white light, not too bright, but certainly not natural for so late in the day.

"Holy Arceus," Hagrid muttered and Harry turned to see what he was looking at.

Standing tall and proud, the source of the mysterious white light, stood a majestic Pokémon. Resembling a stag, with four legs and a head full of antlers, it was still abundantly clear that this was no common Pokémon.

"Xerneas," Hagrid breathed, holding a hand to his heart as if to check it was still beating. On Harry's left there was a noise and Harry turned in shock as Rapidash, who Harry had been sure was near death just moments ago, rose to his feet and stood steadily, no hint of its previous injuries. It nodded its head graciously to Harry before wandering away, the Ponyta who had come for their help following it as it headed into the forest and disappeared from view.

Harry turned back to the Pokémon at the source of the light and saw that it was simply standing there, watching them. He felt like he should say thank you, this Pokémon had surely saved his life, but strangely he found his voice to have left him. Xerneas however didn't appear to need Harry to say anything for it bowed its antlered head towards him and turned away, the light fading as the majestic Pokémon disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"And that was everything?" Hagrid nodded.

It was no more than an hour since their encounter with the mist in the forest and they had still to make it back to bed.

With their job essentially completed with Rapidash's miraculous recovery Hagrid had led them back out of the forest and to the open grounds. Hagrid had only stopped briefly to drop his bag in his hut, as well as letting Fang and Aragog rest inside, before he had accompanied Harry up the lawn, into the castle and up to Professor Dumbledore's office.

Hagrid had just finished recounting his version of what happened that night to the headmaster, who had remained silent whilst the gamekeeper told his story. Now he sat there, fingers resting against each other pensively as he took it all in.

"Harry," he said softly. "Do you have anything you want to add?"

Harry shook his head. "Hagrid told you everything, sir," he said, his voice quiet.

The corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched. "I'm sure he has," he agreed. "I was merely wondering if there was anything you picked up on that Hagrid hadn't mentioned. Like how it felt, this mist. What did you feel when confronted with it?"

"Scared," Harry answered honestly. He looked down at Dumbledore's desk as he relived the feeling. "I don't know why but… as soon as I saw that mist… I knew it was wrong, that it was evil. It was so cold, I felt like I couldn't breath." He swallowed hard.

The rustling of wings caught his attention and Harry looked up in surprise as a large bird Pokémon with wonderful red plumage landed lightly on his shoulder.

"Fawkes," Dumbledore explained, smiling at Harry's questioning look. "A Ho-oh, an exceedingly rare Pokémon. This particular Ho-oh, for some reason or another, seems rather attached to me." He let out a small chuckle. "He seems to have taken a liking to you too, it seems. Ho-oh are said to show themselves to those with a pure heart. It says much about you, Harry, that Fawkes chooses you."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir," he said, gently stroking Fawkes's beautiful head.

"Fawkes is what one would call a legendary Pokémon," Dumbledore told Harry, causing the boy to look up at the man in amazement. "Likewise you have already seen a legendary Pokémon tonight in Xerneas," he explained.

"That was a legendary Pokémon?" Harry said in disbelief.

"Unless Hagrid was mistaken, and from what he's told me I highly doubt that, then yes," Dumbledore told Harry. "Xerneas, like many legendary Pokémon, is part of a trio that balance each other out. In the case of Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, it's counterparts are Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon, and Zygarde, the Order Pokémon."

"So," Harry said, thinking. "That thing that attacked Rapidash… that was Yveltal?"

"That was no Pokémon," Hagrid said gruffly. "Never seen anythin' like it."

"I believe Hagrid is correct," Dumbledore agreed. "While Yveltal is known for destruction it works in harmony with Xerneas, and with Zygarde too. Without death, there cannot be life, and Xerneas and Yveltal maintain the balance between the two. When something upsets this balance it falls upon Zygarde, the Order Pokémon, to set it back to rights."

"So, the thing in the forest," Harry wondered. "If Xerneas was there to deal with it then does that mean,… is it still alive?"

"In a way, yes," Dumbledore answered cryptically. "What you saw in the forest was not natural, I can assure you. Your reaction to its presence and the effect Xerneas had on it is proof of that. It is my belief that the mist, whatever it is, isn't truly alive, yet isn't truly dead, either. In short, it is an abomination."

"I don't understand," Harry said, shaking his head. "How can something be alive and at the same time, not alive? That doesn't make any sense."

"I quite agree," Dumbledore said. "But there would have been no reason for Xerneas to involve itself for any other reason." Dumbledore let out a sigh. "There are many things we still do not know about the world of the living, let alone the distinct lack of knowledge about what comes after."

"But we should leave such philosophical questions for another time," Dumbledore added, noticing the exhaustion in Harry's eyes. "For now I think it would be best for you to return to your dormitory and get some rest. After all, exams are fast approaching and I've always found the best preparation for any sort of test includes a good night sleep. Hagrid, if you would?"

Hagrid escorted Harry out of Dumbledore's office and saw him all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, and Harry wondered if Hagrid, like him, was feeling slightly unsafe even within the castle walls. They said their goodnights and parted ways, Hagrid heading back to his hut, Harry entering the near deserted common room.

"Where have you been?!" Unfortunately the few people who were still up were Hermione, Ron and, to Harry's surprise, Neville. They'd obviously waited up just for him and Hermione at least was very unhappy about it.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" she continued. "You've been gone for hours, its nearly one in the morning."

"Harry, mate, are you alright?" Ron had got a good glimpse of Harry's expression and his question cut Hermione short. Harry sighed.

"You'd better sit down," Harry told them. "This is a long story." And so he told them what had happened over the last few hours, starting with his time at Hagrid's and leading on to the appearance of Ponyta, the menacing mist, Xerneas, and finally the meeting that had just took place in Dumbledore's office.

As he finished his story his three friends were stunned into silence.

Ron turned to Hermione. "Bet you feel bad about being mad at Harry now, eh?" Hermione ignored him.

"You were attacked… oh, god, I can't believe it," she mumbled distractedly. "And if Xerneas hadn't been…. What was it?" Harry shrugged.

"Don't know," he told her. "I think Dumbledore has some idea but all he'd tell me was that it was something between life and death, and that's why Xerneas attacked it."

"You know who this is, don't you?" Ron said darkly. "You-know-who."

"You-know-who?" Hermione repeated questioningly.

"Voldemort," Neville squeaked, his face as white as a sheet. He clapped his hands over his mouth, looking horrified, before he scampered off up the boys staircase, his Bulbasaur following worriedly behind him.

"Voldemort?" Harry repeated softly, his eyes following where Neville had disappeared from sight.

"Don't say his name," Ron ground out.

"Why not?" Hermione asked. "I've read about this guy lots but I never knew his name. All the references I could find only referred to him as 'You-know-who'."

"Yeah, well, we don't use his name," Ron told her grimly.

"But why?" Hermione asked. "It's just a name."

Ron shook his head. "You don't understand, Hermione," he said roughly. "You-know-who… what he did was terrible, mum and dad refuse to tell us much but what I have heard…" Ron shuddered. "He tore families apart, destroyed entire bloodlines. He killed my uncles, Gideon and Fabian. People fear the name, Hermione. Why do you think Neville ran off like a coward when he said the name? Why do you think Neville only ever talks about his Gran and Great Uncle Algie? Where do you think Dean's dad really is?"

There was silence as Ron finished ranting, Hermione looking as white as a sheet at what Ron had said.

"Nobody whose families train Pokémon haven't lost people to You-know-who," Ron told her in a calmer tone. "Not me, not Neville, not Harry. And if Harry's mum hadn't done what she did," Ron shook his head. "We wouldn't be here right now."

"And you think it's him?" Harry asked. "In the forest? But I thought he was gone."

"Dad always said he didn't think You-know-who was gone for good," Ron told him. "He was famous for doing all sorts of experiments with Pokémon. Some think he found a way to make himself unbeatable. Obviously he wasn't, since he was destroyed, but who's to say if he ever really died. Maybe he was dead already. "

There was dead silence in the common room.

"Dumbledore said it was unnatural," Harry said softly. "He called it an abomination."

Hermione sighed. "I'm not willing to believe it just yet," she informed them both. "But I think we can hold off this conversation until we've all had some rest. Dumbledore knows about this now, I'm sure he's making sure we are all as safe as could be right this second. If it is… 'You-know-who', then it was said that Dumbledore was the only trainer he ever feared. So we shouldn't worry too much about it."

That was at least some comfort to Harry as he and Ron bid Hermione goodnight and made their way up to their dormitory in silence. When they got there they quickly and quietly got changed, Harry absently noting the absence of Neville's snores, and went straight to bed.

But Harry found he couldn't sleep. The vision of the horrible mist remained imprinted on his mind whenever he dared close his eyes and the paralysing cold would return. His breathing became ragged and he quickly opened his eyes again, the visual evidence that he was safe pulling his mind away from his terror in the forest.

He didn't sleep that night, instead his mind turned to the one thing they hadn't talked about down in the common room in the early hours of the morning. If it was Voldemort, and Harry felt a shiver even thinking the name, then why was he in the forest, so close to the one trainer he had feared above all others. The only thing Harry could think of was the Sacred Ash, hidden somewhere beneath him, that had the ability to grant eternal life. The idea of an item like that in Voldemort's hands would be enough to keep anyone up at night.


	13. Through The Trapdoor

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

As the days passed Harry couldn't help but marvel at how quickly Voldemort's appearance disappeared from focus. Every night Harry was visited by the same dream, the memory of what had happened before Xerneas had appeared, but during the day Voldemort and the Sacred Ash took a back seat for one very simple reason.

Exams were upon them.

It was with a great deal of nervousness that Harry sat behind his assigned desk on the Monday morning, just over a week after the incident in the forest, to take his written Pokémon Physiology exam. And as promised, it was hard.

For the next few days Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the other first years followed the same routine of exams, then lunch, then more exams, then dinner, then last minute cramming for the next day's exams before bed. It did not help that the weather outside was wonderful, Harry finding himself more than once longingly staring out of the window of Gryffindor Tower at the sunlit grounds while he was stuck inside revising.

The exams weren't just written either, some subjects had practical portions too. To Harry's delight one of those was Pokémon Battling and Harry had a fabulous time showcasing his skills, handily beating Parvati's Skitty with Charmander and earning himself a 'well done' from Professor Quirrel.

On the other hand the only other subject to have a practical was Potions. Two whole hours spent trapped down in the dungeons, trying desperately to remember which berry helped cure paralysis and which infatuation, all the while having Snape stalking up and down the aisle, sneering down at their work.

Their last exam, History, passed by almost too slowly, but eventually they received the call to stop writing and were sent out of the hall for the last time.

"Finally," Ron said as they stepped out into the warm sunlight of the Hogwarts grounds. The sun had been shining unhelpfully through the windows during their exam, making the room sweltering hot and blinding the few unfortunate enough to be sitting in its way. "Freedom."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Hermione told him, but she too was smiling.

"Maybe not for you," Ron countered. "But not all of us are the smartest in the year, Hermione."

"Let's find somewhere to sit," Harry suggested, sensing an argument brewing. He released Charmander and Fletchinder, who appeared before him. "Exams are over," he told them. "Now all we have to do is wait."

"I do hope we get our results back soon," Hermione fretted, her HootHoot appearing and fluttering happily after Fletchinder.

"Relax," Ron told her, releasing Growlithe too. "We only just finished the exams, give yourself a bit of a break."

Hermione smiled. "You're right," she said, letting out a deep breath as she allowed herself to bask in the warmth of the sun. "Nothing we can do now, lets just have some fun for awhile."

"Now you're speaking my language," Ron said with a grin. "Oy look, there's Hagrid," he said, pointing over to Hagrid's hut where Hagrid indeed was sitting out in the sun, huge overcoat hanging over the back of his chair and his feet resting in a huge bucket of water. Beside him Fang and Aragog were enjoying the sun whilst Norbert was running around excitably nearby.

"Hey Hagrid," Harry called as they got closer to the man.

"Oh, hey there Harry," Hagrid called back, shielding his eyes from the sun. "What're you guys doin' out here? Don't yeh have exams?"

"Finished," Ron told him. "Just had the last one this morning."

"Great! How'd it go?"

This unfortunately prompted Hermione to go off on a long story of her thoughts on the previous exam paper, examining it question by question and barely pausing to breath. Harry and Ron, having grown used to this behaviour over the last few days, lay down on the grass with the Pokémon, easily blocking Hermione out as they dozed, feeling awfully tired now that exams were over.

"Sounds like yeh did a good job, Hermione," Hagrid said approvingly as Hermione finished her long speech. Harry wondered how much of it Hagrid had actually listened to. "And I'm sure Harry and Ron did good too."

"As long as I passed," Ron said, not even bothering to open his eyes. "I honestly couldn't care less."

Hagrid chuckled.

They spent a number of hours hanging around with Hagrid outside his hut, for the most part just dozing but occasionally waking up long enough to hear one of Hagrid's stories about his adventures in the forest. It was one of these stories that reminded Harry of his encounter no less than a couple weeks ago and all of a sudden he wasn't feeling so relaxed.

"Hagrid, do you mind if I ask you something?" Harry asked, sitting up. The sun had become slightly obscured by clouds and a small breeze had picked up making it not quite the nice sunbathing weather it had been.

"Sure, Harry, ask me anything," Hagrid said cheerfully.

"Who was it that gave you Norbert's egg?" Harry asked. It had been bugging him for quite some time now, and now that he thought about it the chances that someone would just be carrying around a Bagon egg were very slight.

"Dunno," Hagrid said easily. "Never saw his face, he always kept his hood up." Harry looked at him in surprise.

"It's not that unusual," Hagrid waved away Harry's concern. "Most people in the Hog's Head like ter keep ter themselves, it's just the culture 'round there."

Harry frowned. "But why do you think he had a Bagon egg?" he asked. "Those are really rare, right?"

Hagrid shrugged. "He said he had the parents and was looking ter pass on the egg ter someone who could look after it," he told him. "When I said I worked here as gamekeeper he got real interested, askin' if I had experience with dragon types. Real interestin' guy, knew a lot about dragon Pokémon. Certainly seemed interested when I told him about Fluffy."

"You told him about Fluffy?" Hermione gasped. Hagrid shook his head.

"Don't be daft," he told her. "I just said I'd raised one before, didn't say where it was now." Hagrid looked up at the clouds above them.

"Looks like we're in fer a bit of rain," he told them, lifting his huge feet out of the bucket of water and preparing to stick them into his boots. "We should be getting back up to the castle, wouldn't want yeh ter be caught in that."

"Good idea," Ron agreed. "Should be time for dinner soon."

They wandered back across the lawn, the weather now certainly having taken a turn for the worse as the clouds became grey and started to block out the sun. The grounds were mostly empty by now, the few people still outside seeming to have the same idea as Hagrid and making their way to the great oak front doors. All except one.

"Why, 'ello there Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid greeted as the old man strode briskly outside, the small wind rippling his jacket impressively.

"Hagrid, how good to see you," Dumbledore said, smiling at them. "I was just on my way down to your cabin. I'm afraid I must take a short time away from the school to deal with a matter at the Ministry. I shan't be too long, I expect to be back later tonight."

"Right-o Professor," Hagrid nodded. Harry however was worried.

"But Professor, what about the Sacred Ash?" he asked hurriedly.

For the briefest moment a look of surprise passed across Dumbledore's face, then he laughed.

"My, you caught me quite off guard there Harry," Dumbledore chuckled. "I did not know you knew about the Ash, but I can assure you that it is completely safe. I have in fact been spreading word to the other professors that I shall be away so they know to be extra vigilant, until I come back."

"Now," he said, standing up straight. "I'm afraid I must be off." His hand reached to his waist and a Pokéball appeared in it. With a toss the Pokéball was thrown into the air and from within appeared a Dragonite.

"I will see you all later," Dumbledore told them as he sat atop Dragonite's back, looking entirely comfortable on the back of the dragon type. "Alright Dragonite, to the Ministry."

"Drago-," Dragonite called, bending down slightly before pushing off from the ground, shooting up into the air until it became a mere pinprick in the sky.

"Wicked," Ron said as they looked up into the air, following the tiny figure of Dragonite for as long as they could before it disappeared from sight.

"That he is," Hagrid agreed with a chuckle. "Come on now. Let's get some food in us, eh?" Harry didn't feel like it very much.

"Come on Harry," Hagrid said, seeing the look on his face. "It'll be fine, yeh heard Dumbledore."

"But what if something happens," Harry blurted out. He didn't really know why but after what had happened in the forest and learning about how Hagrid got Norbert, coupled with Dumbledore leaving the school, he had a bad feeling.

Hagrid frowned. "Tell yeh what," he said. "How about the three of us go visit Fluffy, eh? Then yeh'll see that there ain't nothin' to worry about, I promise."

Harry felt a rush of gratitude at Hagrid's words as, while he wasn't particularly keen on seeing the vicious Hydreigon again, it would make him feel better to see that the Ash was still well protected.

Ron had other ideas.

"Well, while you do that I think I'm going to go to dinner," Ron said, rubbing his stomach which rumbled loudly. "We missed lunch you know."

"Oh come on Ron," Hagrid smiled. "Fluffy's 'armless. I'll show yeh, come on." And so he shepherded Ron, with Harry and Hermione following, into the castle and, bypassing the Great Hall where students were walking in in droves, climbed up the marble staircase.

"Here we go," Hagrid said cheerfully as they reached the third floor corridor. He fumbled in his pocket for a moment before he fished out a large, rather old fashioned key, which he inserted into the lock.

As Hagrid turned the key Harry, Ron and Hermione instinctively drew back, remembering all too well their last encounter with Fluffy the Hydreigon, but as Hagrid pulled the door open there were no fearsome growls or high pitched screeches from inside.

"Oh, Fluffy," Hagrid said sadly, walking straight through the door and bending down. Harry, Ron and Hermione tentatively creeped in after him, standing on their tip toes to try and see past Hagrid's broad shoulders.

Lying on the ground, looking pale and sweaty, was Fluffy, unmistakeable from their last encounter with him. But he was not looking well.

"Is he ill?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Obviously she was still wary, even if Fluffy didn't seem in any shape to attack her.

"Musta been food poisoning," Hagrid said sadly, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry Fluffy, I gotta take more care not ter let any bad stuff get in yer food. Here." He pulled out a berry from one of his coat pockets. "Eat this, it'll make yeh feel better."

Fluffy almost pitifully inclined its central head towards the berry, sniffing it experimentally, before taking a small bite.

"There yeh go," Hagrid said comfortingly. "Now eat up, yeh got ter have the whole thing if yeh want to feel better yeh know." Fluffy obliged Hagrid's request, snaffling up the rest of the berry, already looking more energetic as the berries effects started to kick in.

"We should give Fluffy some time to rest," Hagrid whispered to the other three, rising slowly to his feet. "Given some rest he'll be back to normal in no time."

"Great," Ron said, unenthusiastically. Hagrid appeared to miss the sarcasm.

"Let's go," he whispered, directing the trio back out of the room containing Fluffy and closing the door behind him. He turned the key and the lock clicked shut, breaking the tense atmosphere that had developed.

"Alright, who's up fer dinner," Hagrid said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together. "It won't be long until the leaving feast. I tell yeh, yeh won't want ter miss that."

"We'll meet you down there," Harry said quickly. Ron seemed just as ready for food as Hagrid.

"Yes Hagrid, why don't you go ahead," Hermione agreed. "I've got to get something from the common room, I'm sure we won't be long."

"Alright, see you down there," Hagrid said cheerfully and he wandered off down the corridor, leaving the three of them standing alone at the entrance of the forbidden third floor corridor.

"Oh dear," Hermione eventually said after a long silence, the three of them staring after Hagrid's back.

"Not good," Ron agreed, glancing at the door behind him. "You don't think he's already down there, do you?" His voice wavered. "You-know-who? He's down there, isn't he?"

Harry nodded. "Fluffy looked just like the Rapidash we found in the forest," he told the other two. "I'm surprised Hagrid didn't notice. Whatever attacked that Rapidash attacked Fluffy and if it is You-know-who," he swallowed. "We're in trouble."

"What do we do?" Ron asked. "Tell a teacher?"

"We can't," Harry shook his head. "Remember, students aren't supposed to know about the Sacred Ash, or even Fluffy for that matter. They wouldn't believe us if we told them what we know. The only one who would is Dumbledore."

"And he's god knows how far away from Hogwarts now," Ron finished.

"We need to get Dumbledore," Hermione said firmly. "Harry, you can send Fletchinder with a message."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Harry acknowledged. "Do you have a pen and paper?" Unsurprisingly Hermione did. Harry quickly took it and, using Ron's back as a brace, penned a quick note to Dumbledore.

 _Dumbledore,_

 _Fluffy poisoned. You-know-who after Ash. In pursuit. Come back now._

 _Harry._

As he finished his short note he quickly released Fletchinder.

"Fletchinder, I need your help," he said urgently, capturing the flying type's attention. "I need you to take this letter and deliver it to Albus Dumbledore. He's on his way to the Ministry in London right now and we need him here. Can you do that for me?"

Fletchinder cried out affirmatively, a steely look in his eye as he prepared himself for his task. Harry held out the note and Fletchinder grabbed it in his talons.

"Good luck," Harry called as Fletchinder soared down the hallway, reaching the end of the corridor and disappearing out of sight.

"So what do we do now?" Ron wondered. "Wait?"

Harry shook his head.

"We need to go after him," he told the others. "He's already got a massive head start and who knows how long it will take Fletchinder to catch up with Dumbledore. Plus, all the Professors are at dinner, it will be ages before anyone thinks to check on the Ash, and by then it will be too late."

"Harry's right," Hermione agreed, though her face was white. "We've got to slow him down, buy Dumbledore some more time. We can't let him get his hands on the Sacred Ash."

Ron gulped. "I hear ya," he said, looking worried. "But there's one problem," he turned to the door. "How do we get past Fluffy?" The other two turned as well.

"I've thought of this," Hermione admitted quietly. "I was so frightened after the last time we met Fluffy that I thought of a way to contain him if we ever saw him again."

"How?" Harry and Ron asked together.

"Don't ask, just do as I say," Hermione said, taking a deep breath and reaching up to tie her hair back. She looked ready for a challenge. "Ron, I'm going to need you to pick the lock," she told him, reaching for her Pokéball. "HootHoot will take it from there."

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Hermione hesitated, but nodded.

"I've done some tests," she told them. "Never on a Hydreigon but it should work just the same. You just need to cover your eyes when I give the order."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other again.

"If you're sure," Harry said, giving a nod to Ron. Carefully Ron approached the door and, much like he did just weeks before Halloween, he carefully slid a pair of metal instruments into the lock and went to work. The lock clicked.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked Hermione as Ron moved to grab the handle, waiting to open it.

Hermione nodded.

"On the count of three, yeah," Ron said, his whole arm shaking as he clutched the door handle tightly. "Three, two, one." And he pulled the door open.

Whatever illness that had befallen Fluffy before was now gone as immediately growls could be heard as the door swung open to reveal the fearsome Hydreigon.

"Cover your eyes," Hermione commanded, her voice rising in pitch in fear. "HootHoot, use Hypnosis!"

HootHoot stood before Hydreigon, looking for all the world like it was going to become Fluffy's next meal, but as Hydreigon floated forward his eyes started to droop. The middle head let out a yawn and, after a moments stillness, he began to snore.

"Quick," Harry whispered, creeping up to the Hydreigon and carefully slipping past so as not to rouse the slumbering beast. Hermione followed him, HootHoot held securely in her arms, and Ron brought up the rear, oh so carefully closing the door behind them. Together the three of them huddled around the trap door.

"Ready?" Harry asked, grabbing hold of the handle of the trap door. Ron and Hermione nodded, each grabbing hold too and together the three of them heaved the solid wooden door up and away from the floor, before letting it fall with a bang.

Hydreigon let out a grunt in his sleep.

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a relieved look before glancing down the trapdoor.

"Do you see anything?" Hermione asked, her voice barely more than a breath. Harry shook his head.

"Charmander," he said softly, releasing his starter Pokémon. "Can you point your tail down into the hole." Charmander did as instructed, dropping his tail down through the trapdoor so that the flame could light up the room below.

"Still can't see much," Ron muttered. "Doesn't seem like too big a drop. And there's something that will cushion our fall… some sort of plant."

"I reckon we'll just have to make a jump for it," Harry told them. "We have no other way to get down." The other two nodded in agreement. "Besides, who knows how much longer Fluffy will stay asleep." Fluffy took this moment to let out a snore.

"I'll go first," Harry decided. "Then Ron. Hermione, we'll need HootHoot up there until all of us are safely out of Fluffy's reach." Hermione looked pale, but nodded. Harry took hold of Charmander and placed him on his shoulder.

"Hold on tight," he told his Pokémon as he slowly started to lower himself through the trapdoor. First his feet went through, then his legs, then his waist and stomach, until all that was left were his hands, hanging on to the edge. "Here I go," he muttered, and he let go.

The fall was longer than it looked and Harry was hugely grateful for the plant that had been placed beneath them, cushioning his fall well. Quickly he scurried out of the way as Ron came through and then within seconds Hermione was on her way down, landing squarely on top of Ron. A loud growling sound could be heard above.

"Fluffy woke up," Hermione told them, pulling hairs away from her scared looking face.

"Good thing we got down here quickly," Ron agreed, extracting himself from under Hermione's bottom.

Harry nodded. "Come on," he said, rising to stand. There was an opening at one side of the room leading down a dark passageway and Harry was sure that that was their way forward. However he hadn't made it even a single step before he found his foot being pulled out from under him. He hit the ground hard. "What…?" he spluttered but then he looked back.

The vines that had caught them and cushioned their landing, which Harry had taken to be completely benign, were moving and had, without Harry's notice, wrapped themselves firmly around his ankle.

"Quick, run for it!" Ron yelled, attempting to do just that before a large vine ripped out of the ground and wrapped around his waist, hoisting him backwards and to the ground where he was immediately surrounded by more writhing vines.

"This must be a Pokémon," Hermione told them, attempting to lash out at the offending vines as they encircled her and HootHoot. "A grass Pokémon, I'm sure. Fire type moves will be super effective against it."

Harry took this information in quickly. "Charmander, Ember!" he shouted. Charmander, who had been dancing out of the way of the encroaching vines, immediately responded, pelting them with sizzling hot embers. To Harry's relief it seemed to work, the vines immediately withdrawing as they were struck by the attack.

"Growlithe, help out!" Ron shouted, fighting through the vines to reach his Pokéball. Growlithe appeared and took just a second to survey the scene before he opened his mouth and let out a blast of fire at the vines encompassing his trainer.

"Wow, that was Flamethrower," Hermione said, amazed. "I didn't know Growlithe knew that attack."

"He didn't," Ron answered, but he was grinning. "Let's keep going Growlithe!"

Between them Growlithe and Charmander, with the occasional assistance of HootHoot, beat back the vines and finally Harry, Ron and Hermione were able to make it safely to the wall as the vines retreated across to the other end of the room.

"A Tangrowth," Hermione gasped, recognising the Pokémon. "As I said, a pure grass type."

"I don't care what it is, I just want to put as much distance between myself and it as possible," Ron said firmly. Hermione couldn't argue that point and together the three of them, with their three Pokémon by their side, walked on down the passage.


	14. Trial By Fire

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

As they walked Harry thought about what Hagrid had told them about the defences protecting the Sacred Ash. There was Hagrid's, that being Fluffy, and others made by Sprout, Flitwick, Quirrel, Snape and McGonagall. Assuming that each of them had made exactly one obstacle then that would seem to suggest that there were four more still to be passed.

"I see something," Ron said suddenly, his voice low, drawing the others' attention.

Indeed, it appeared that the passageway they'd been following was opening up into a room, shrouded completely in darkness, giving Harry a very ominous feeling.

"Everyone be ready," he whispered to the others, certain that this was their next task to face, as they stepped towards the room.

The first thing Harry noticed, as Charmander's tail brought a soft glow to the room beyond, was that there was in fact very little in this room at all. In fact the only thing in there appeared to be a small, silver object sitting right in the middle of the floor. Other than that all that there was was a simple wooden door right across from them.

"This is it?" Ron asked, unimpressed.

"Maybe You-know-who already beat this obstacle," Harry guessed. It did appear as though there was nothing left in the room to fight them. "That key must be for the door," he said, walking out to the middle of the room, bending down to pick up the key. As he did so the key moved.

"What was that?" Ron asked, suddenly on full alert. Harry remained frozen, crouched down with his hand outstretched towards the key, which was sitting innocently just out of his reach. He moved to pick it up again. Again it scuttled away.

"Is it a Pokémon?" Ron asked, coming up beside Harry for a closer look.

"Not one that I've seen before," Hermione told them as she too reached out for the key. All of a sudden, surprising the three of them so much they fell backwards onto their rear ends, the key rocketed straight up in the air. It hovered just a few feet above their heads.

"This is weird," Ron said, looking around the room suspiciously. "What do you reckon this is? Ghost Pokémon?"

"Maybe," Hermione answered, watching as the key flitted backwards and forwards as HootHoot chased after it, never even getting close to catching it. "Maybe if Fletchinder were here we would have a chance of catching it but without him…" she tailed off.

"We have to figure out what's happening," Harry told them. "That's the only way we're going to get that key."

"Well, we can check if it is ghosts," Hermione pondered. "HootHoot, use Foresight." An unusual wave of energy emitted from HootHoot's eyes and focused in on the key, but nothing happened.

"So not a ghost," Harry surmised.

"Then what the hell is it?" Ron demanded, getting frustrated.

Hermione had a thoughtful look on her faced.

"Harry," she said after a while. "Could you go get Charmander to stand by the wall?" Harry wasn't sure what Hermione was asking him to do that for but did so nevertheless, sending Charmander to stand by the grey stone. As Charmander's tail flickered and lit up his immediate surroundings Harry, Ron and Hermione gasped.

What they had thought to be the walls of this seemingly empty circular room turned out not to be walls at all, and as Charmander's tail revealed their true identity it all suddenly snapped into focus.

They were surrounded by Magnemite.

Over a hundred of them, Harry's best estimate would be, were set around the room, remaining completely silent and unmoving, held together by the electrical currents coming out of their magnets.

"Of course," Hermione breathed, as Charmander quickly hurried away from the surprise Pokémon whose face he'd been shining his tail in. "It was the Magnemite."

"Come again?" Ron asked, backing up into the centre of the room, looking around at the wall of Pokémon around them.

"The Magnemite," Hermione repeated. "They're the obstacle."

"But how?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. "Magnemite's ability is Magnet Pull," she explained. "In battle this prevents Steel type Pokémon from switching out against them."

"So?" Ron asked, not sure what this had to do with anything.

"The key," Hermione told him. "That key isn't made of silver, it's made of steel. The Magnemite have been controlling it all along, which is why we haven't been able to lay a hand on it."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. That made sense. "So, how do we get the key?"

Hermione faltered. "I don't know," she admitted.

Ron snarled. "I'll show you how," he said angrily. "Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" Growlithe jumped forward on command, belching out a plume of flame at part of the Magnemite wall. As the fire neared the Magnemite all of a sudden became surrounded by small green bubbles, overlapping with one another and, to Ron's annoyance, Growlithe's attack was blocked.

"They're using Protect," Hermione told him. "They can block any attack you throw at them."

"That's what they think," Ron growled but Harry was no longer paying attention. Instead he was looking up at the key.

"Ron," he said, surprising the boy as he prepared to order another attack. "Have Growlithe attack the Magnemite again." Ron was confused, Harry hadn't even glanced down from the key as he spoke, but he did so anyway.

"I've got it," Harry said triumphantly as Growlithe ended his attack.

"Did I see what I thought I saw," Hermione gasped, for she too had watched the key when Growlithe had attacked. Harry nodded.

"What are you two on about?" Ron asked, starting to feel frustrated with being so out of the loop. Harry grinned.

"Do you want to tell him, Hermione?" he asked. Hermione gave a small smile.

"When Growlithe attacked the key moved," Hermione told Ron. "In fact, it moved away from the Magnemite that were being attacked. That must mean that Magnemite can't control their Magnet Pull ability and protect themselves at the same time."

"So if we can attack all of them at once…" Ron said, catching on.

"Exactly," Hermione grinned. "You leave this one to me," she told them. "Call back Charmander and Growlithe and cover your ears. This is going to get loud."

Hermione strode out to the middle of the floor, HootHoot fluttering down to land on top of her head as Harry and Ron hurried to obey Hermione's commands.

"HootHoot," Hermione said. "Use Uproar."

A tremendous sound burst from the tiny Pokémon, reverberating around the room and surprising Harry and Ron who immediately brought their hands to their ears. The Magnemite, all of them, threw up their shields to protect themselves from the terrible noise, and as they did so the key fell from the sky.

"I've got it!" Harry shouted over the din, running forward to pluck the key out of the air. He charge over to the door, put the key in the lock, and turned it.

"That's enough HootHoot!" Hermione yelled, but HootHoot didn't seem to hear her, continuing with the deafening racket which seemed to be hurting everyone despite the precautionary measures they had taken.

"Knock it off!" Ron shouted and he pushed HootHoot cleanly off Hermione's head. Suddenly the noise stopped and HootHoot looked around in surprise, fluttering to the ground, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

"What, was that!?" Ron shouted, their ears all still ringing from the noise.

"HootHoot's Uproar attack," Hermione explained, wincing at the sound of her own voice. "It lasts for an undetermined length of time so it only works in certain situations." Hermione glanced down at her little HootHoot. "They say Pokémon can't fall asleep in an Uproar. Now I see why."

"Guys," Harry called, standing at the door. The two of them had been so busy talking that they hadn't even noticed that the path onwards was now free.

"Right, sorry Harry," Hermione said, walking towards him. Ron followed behind her.

Harry stepped aside to allow the two of them to walk in first before he held up the key, and let go. At once the key zoomed back to the centre of the room where it rested, lying innocently for the next person to wander through. Harry closed the door behind him with a snap.

* * *

"What's next?" Ron asked. They'd been walking down another passageway and had been for awhile now, with so far only darkness ahead of them.

"There should only be three challenges remaining," Harry said, keeping his eyes peeled. "I imagine we'll be getting to the next one soon."

Just as Harry said this fire bloomed around them and as one the trio took a step back. But there was no danger, none that they could see at any rate. What they could see made them gasp.

Standing before them, illuminated by the pillars of fire that surrounded the large chamber, was the largest chess set Harry had ever seen. The game board was set down a small flight of stairs but even from here Harry could tell that the bigger pieces would dwarf the three of them.

"A chess set," Hermione breathed in surprise.

"I suppose it's one of the tests," Ron said. "I see a door over at the other end. I suppose if we win then we get to go on to the next test."

"But who are we playing?" Hermione asked. Ron merely pointed.

Standing across the room, so still that they hadn't noticed it until now, was an Alakazam. It was watching them silently, displaying no emotion on its face as it waited for them to approach.

"Is he right?" Harry asked, addressing the Pokémon. Alakazam nodded. "We have to beat you to go on?" Again Alakazam nodded. There was a moments pause before Alakazam's eyes glowed eerily. For a second Harry was worried but then three of the black pieces standing before them, a Knight, a Bishop, and a Rook, floated up into the air and moved off to the side of the board.

"I get it," Ron said. "We don't just play Alakazam at chess, we have to be the pieces too."

"But why?" Hermione asked, startled.

"To stop people getting through, duh," Ron told her, smiling at the fact that he had figured out something Hermione hadn't. "The last obstacles could be done by having lots of people, but in this the more people you have the more are going to get taken. Brilliant."

Harry had to admit that it was quite an ingenious design but something else was worrying Harry more than that.

"How are we supposed to win?" he asked quietly. "I don't know how to play chess, do you? And we're up against an Alakazam, they have ridiculously high IQ's." Hermione looked nervous too but Ron cleared his throat, looking a bit awkward.

"I haven't told either of you guys this before," he began, his cheeks going red. "But, I, eh, I'm quite good at chess. Really good actually."

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised. Ron shrugged, though it seemed to be more one of embarrassment than uncertainty.

"Dad taught me years ago," he admitted. "I really got into it. I can beat anyone in the family, even dad. So… yeah." There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Hermione burst out, unable to believe he'd been keeping this a secret all year. Ron rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly.

"I didn't want people to think I was a nerd or something," he muttered, to Harry and Hermione's astonishment. "I didn't want to be like Percy." He made a face.

"Well," Harry said, having to fight down a laugh at the strange turn of events. "What do you say? Can you beat Alakazam?"

"I think so," Ron said pensively, hardly the most convincing declaration he could have made. Then he suddenly snapped to attention. "Alright, here's what we do," he said, his tone business like. "Alakazam has already chosen which pieces we'll be, which is a pity cause I'd have liked Harry to be the King, they don't ever get taken," he muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'cheat'.

"So, Harry, you take the spot the Bishop just left," Ron told him. "No not that spot, the one next to it," Ron put a hand to his face in exasperation as Harry went to the wrong spot. "Hermione, you take the Rook spot," Hermione thankfully knew which spot this was, "And I'll be the Knight."

They took their places, lining up against the faceless white pieces on the other side of the board.

"Right, you know how your piece can move?" Ron asked them. Hermione nodded assertively. Harry shook his head. "Any number of squares diagonally," Ron told him, rolling his eyes. "In any direction, but you can't jump over pieces." Harry just continued to look bewildered. "I'll guide you through it," Ron promised before turning back to the opposition.

"White always plays the first move," Ron announced, something Harry filed away for future knowledge. "Ah, there he goes. Blimey, it's weird playing from this position."

On the other side of the board one of white's pawns moved two spaces forward.

"Okay," Ron said, taking a steadying breath. "Eh," he hesitated, looking at the pawns in front of them. "Pawn to E5?" he said, looking over at Alakazam hopefully. Thankfully Alakazam did not expect them to move the human sized pieces themselves and at Ron's instruction Alakazam's eyes glowed and one of the black pawns moved forward two spaces, coming to a stop right in front of the white pawn.

Harry knew nothing about chess, he was quite willing to admit to that. He'd never had the opportunity to play before and Uncle Vernon was hardly a man to find such things interesting. Nevertheless as the game went on Harry started to get an idea of how the pieces moved, though he still left everything strategy wise to Ron.

Ron hadn't been lying when he said he was good. Harry didn't know how scores were kept in this game but from what he could see they were taking just as many pieces as they were losing themselves. But as the pieces started to clear the board Harry wondered how they would win.

"We're nearly there," Ron said quietly. He was standing in the space immediately to Harry's left, with Hermione all the way behind them, having hardly moved throughout the entire game. "I've got an idea but…" he tailed off, his eyes flitting across the board taking in all the black pieces, the white pieces, Alakazam, and finally Harry and Hermione.

"Ok," he said more confidently. "I've got it." And then he moved. Harry frowned.

"Ron?" he asked worriedly. He was still new to this game but from what he knew of how the pieces moved, and he had pretty much got that down by now, Ron was standing directly in the path of Alakazam's Queen.

"It's fine Harry," Ron assured him, even as the white Queen lifted a few inches off the ground and started the slow walk forward to where Ron was standing. "This has to happen." He backed away as the Queen approached, allowing it room to land on his square. He poked his head around the mighty statue and looked at Alakazam. "Eh, what do I do?"

His question was answered as Alakazam's eyes flashed and Ron was sent flying, crashing hard into the wall with a large thud. Hermione screamed.

"Stay still!" Ron shouted, spluttering as his lungs tried to draw in air after having the wind knocked out of him. "The game's still going."

Harry heeded his advice and was glad to see that Hermione too had remained still, though her knees were shaking slightly.

"We can win this," Ron said, coughing loudly. "Harry, see that white Bishop. You need to go diagonally to the spot on it's left." Harry nodded, understanding where Ron was talking about. He took the steps needed, finishing up, as he had all game, on a white square.

"That's check," Ron said and Harry looked over to see that he was bent double, resting against one of the taken black pieces for support. "He'll have to move his King or use a piece to block you." A white Pawn moved one step forward.

"Now Hermione," Ron raised his voice to be heard by the girl standing at the opposite end of the board. "I want you to walk all the way down to the end of the board."

"That'll be check, won't it," Hermione said. Ron nodded and so Hermione stepped forward, walking all the way from her place of safety on the black pieces' back line to stop mere feet away from Alakazam. A moment passed before the white King moved out of check.

"Now Harry, take the Pawn." Harry stepped forward and the Pawn occupying the space floated away and off the board. "That's checkmate." Alakazam nodded and, without so much as a murmur, vanished from view.

Harry stood still for a second, hardly believing that the game was over, before the sound of running got his attention.

"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione had, the moment Alakazam had disappeared, run across the board, straight past Harry, and was now kneeling down next to Ron.

"I'm fine," Ron muttered though he didn't seem to be in Harry's eyes. He was still leaning against the chess piece from before but now his body was slumped so that he was almost lying down on the floor and Harry could tell he was having trouble focusing on them.

"Maybe you should stay behind," Harry suggested to Hermione, looking down on Ron worriedly.

"No," Ron gasped, his eyes opening wide as he heard what Harry had said, pulling himself up into what approximated to a sitting position as he turned to face him. "No, you'll need Hermione," Ron insisted, and it was hard to argue with the vehemence in his voice.

"But you're hurt," Hermione said, sounding almost on the verge of tears.

"I'm fine," Ron argued. "But we won't be if You-know-who gets the Sacred Ash." He looked determined as he turned to Harry. "There are two more obstacles between here and the Ash, we may not have much time. You'll need Hermione to get through them."

"But Ron," Hermione moaned.

"I'll be fine," Ron told her, giving her a weak grin. "I have Growlithe to look after me."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. It was clear Ron was not going to be convinced otherwise.

"Alright," Harry said, and though it pained him to leave Ron like this he stood up. "Lets go." Harry and Hermione walked over to the white side of the board and up the stone steps, only stopping when they reached the door. Looking back they saw Ron gave them a grin and a thumbs up, before they stepped through the door.

Immediately their senses were assaulted as they stepped into the new room and Harry and Hermione quickly pulled their shirts up to cover their mouth and nose. Throughout the room lay a thick haze, darkening the little light there was in the room and causing the air to constrict Harry's lungs. Lying across the floor were three Ursaring, each moaning in pain. The scene was very familiar.

"He's been here," Harry said, his voice muffled by his shirt. "It's just like in the forest." Hermione coughed.

"Isn't there anything we can do for them?" she asked as the two picked their way through the prone Ursaring. Harry shook her head.

"We don't have any supplies," he said. "And you saw Fluffy, who's to say they won't attack us as soon as they feel better." Though not a comforting argument to make it was something Hermione agreed with and so they continued on their way until they reached the door at the opposite end of the room. Not knowing what was on the other side, but knowing they had to get away from this awful smog, Harry opened the door.

Fire.

That was the first thing that caught Harry's attention but he quickly found that, like in the chess chamber, his first impression was misleading. This room was not intimidating or foreboding. In fact, it was almost comfortable. There was only one item in the whole room, and that was a well polished wooden table. The fire that Harry had seen on arrival was actually restricted to two areas, one directly across the room from him, and the other coming from where the door had been just a moment ago.

But the thing that caught Harry's attention the most wasn't the fire or the table, but what was sitting on the table. Seven Pokéballs, all featuring different designs, lay equally spaced in a row along the table and, sitting at the end of this row, was a single sheet of paper.

"Oh," Hermione said as she picked up the paper and read. "Clever."

"What is it?" Harry asked, approaching the table.

"A riddle," Hermione told him. "Only one of these Pokéballs contains the Pokémon we need to get to the last chamber, which I assume is through that fire." She pointed towards the fire they had not yet walked through.

"And the others?" Harry asked.

"One will take us back the way we came," Hermione pointed. "Two more will do… nothing, I think."

"And the last three?"

"Will attack us," Hermione answered. Harry gaped. "That's what it says here anyway."

"But then," Harry stammered. "How are we supposed to know which one to pick? Do we have to guess or…?"

"All the clues we need are on here," Hermione assured him. "All we need is some cool logic. Listen to this." And she recited from the sheet.

"Before you sit seven Pokémon, four friends, three foes, Choose carefully or face danger, that's how this test goes," Hermione began.

"Fear not, guesswork is not due, Just listen to my words and follow my clue. First, no matter how cunning your adversary may be, look right and a friend you shall see. Second, at the end are friend and foe, but if you would move onwards to neither you should go. Third, as you see clearly all balls share different design, Both Level and Lure will remain completely benign. Forth, the second from the left and second from the right, share conviction once their opened, though are different at first sight."

Harry gaped. "We're supposed to work that out?" he asked, bewildered. He couldn't make head nor tail of that riddle, let alone try to work out to which Pokéball it referred to at any given time.

"Relax, Harry, it's not that difficult," Hermione told him, reading the riddle again. "Just give me a minute, I know I can get it."

So Harry did. He said nothing as Hermione strode up and down the length of the table, muttering under her breath as she read and re-read the riddle again and again. He said nothing as five minutes passes, then ten. He said nothing until Hermione suddenly stopped walking and smiled triumphantly.

"Got it," she said, reaching out and picking out the one Great Ball on the table. "This Pokémon will be able to take us to the Sacred Ash."

Harry moved forward. "Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. They had to be completely certain or they could be in big trouble.

"Certain," Hermione said, showing absolutely no doubt.

Harry nodded. "Okay," he said. "Open it." Hermione did. Harry tensed as the white light of a Pokémon appearing lit the room and remained poised to spring into action as the light reformed itself into a small, floating Pokémon.

"Chime," the Pokémon said happily, floating cheerfully around the room. Harry pulled out his Pokédex.

"Chimecho," the Pokédex told him. "The Wind Chime Pokémon. Chimecho makes its cries echo inside its hollow body. When this Pokémon becomes enraged, its cries result in ultrasonic waves that have the power to knock foes flying."

"Seems friendly enough," Harry said, examining the Pokémon himself. It didn't seem to be attacking him and honestly he found it hard to imagine such a Pokémon ever hurting anyone. "Chimecho, can you take us to the next room?"

Chimecho nodded before floating down and wrapping its tail, for want of a better word, around Harry's wrist, before turning and shaking its head at Hermione.

"I think Chimecho is saying that it can only take you, Harry," Hermione said, a worried expression on her face.

"Is that true?" Harry asked. Chimecho nodded, looking genuinely disappointed. "I guess this was another trick of Dumbledore's to stop too many people getting through," he theorised before turning to Hermione.

"Hermione, do you know which Pokémon will get us back the way we came?" he asked. Hermione nodded, reaching out to grab a Safari Ball which opened up to reveal a purple and black Pokémon Harry recognised as a Grumpig.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Harry said quickly. "Hermione, you take Grumpig and go back to Ron. Get out of here and go to McGonagall. I don't know if Dumbledore has got our message yet but if he hasn't then McGonagall is next in charge."

"And what about you?" Hermione asked, though Harry could tell she already knew.

"I'm going to stop him," Harry said simply. "I know I can't beat him but if I can only slow him down for long enough for Dumbledore to get back," Harry took a breath. "I have to go on."

Hermione looked at him, her eyes watering, before, to Harry's shock, she through herself at him.

"It's alright," Harry said awkwardly, patting the crying girl on the back. Then she hit him. "Ow, what was that for?"

"For being so bloody noble," Hermione sniffed, backing off so Harry could see her face. "I knew from the moment we decided to go after You-know-who that it was going to end up like this. You just couldn't let anybody else take the risk instead."

"Hey, you make me sound a lot more heroic than I actually am," Harry told her, rolling his eyes. She hit him on the arm. "Sorry," he muttered, though not entirely sure why he was apologising.

"Be careful, Harry," Hermione told him, wiping away the tears. "Don't die in there, I need my friend." Harry swallowed, a lump had formed in his throat.

"Go," he said, pointing Hermione back the way they'd came. "Go check on Ron."

Hermione nodded. With one last goodbye she walked towards the flames and Grumpig, using its psychic powers, split the flames in half, leaving the pathway clear, before following after Hermione.

"Now it's our turn," Harry said, his voice shaking slightly as he addressed the Chimecho still attached to his arm. In response Chimecho let out a soothing cry before a small bubble formed around the pair.

"This is Safeguard, isn't it?" Harry muttered, looking at the shield in wonder. "I suppose I can just walk through the flames now, can't I?" Chimecho nodded. "Okay," he took a breath. "Here goes." And he stepped into the flames.

For what seemed like an eternity all Harry saw was fire, it pressed against the shield Chimecho had created, licking around the edges, looking for any way in to devour what was hidden behind it. But the shield held as Harry stepped through the flames and arrived in the last chamber. And, as he had expected, he was not alone. But the identity of his companion couldn't have surprised him more.

"You!"


	15. The Man With Two Faces

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

"Me," Quirrel acknowledged. He had his back to Harry and was standing before a podium in the centre of the room, and in his hand was a metallic sphere, the sphere Harry knew contained the Sacred Ash. "I was wondering if I would see you here, Potter." And he turned around.

Harry gasped. Quirrel's face, hidden before, was revealed and it was horribly disfigured. The Battling Professor's skin looked like it was melting, he must have walked straight through the fire to get here, but Quirrel appeared to take no notice of that. There was a wicked smile on his face and his eyes glowed red.

"Surprised?" he asked, his lips curling. "I don't blame you. It is a wonder you made it down here at all."

"Who are you?" Harry said, taking a step back from the monstrosity before him, unable to believe that it was Professor Quirrel standing there.

"Why Potter, don't you recognise your dear Professor?" the cold voice coming from Quirrel's mouth mocked. It was so different from what he was used to, it was not soft and there was no stutter, it was hard and cold.

"No Potter, I am not what you thought I was," Quirrel said, his voice coming out with a soft hiss. "I so wished to meet you again after our encounter in the forest, and here you are."

Harry shook his head. "But you weren't there," he said. "No one was in the forest, it was just me and Hagrid."

Quirrel smirked. "I assure you, Harry Potter," he hissed. "I was there too." He let out a terrible smile. "Why don't I show you my true form. It will be good for you to know why this happened, before you die." And Quirrel raised his hand, a Pokéball in his grasp, and opened it.

Darkness spilled out and immediately Harry was gripped with an oh so familiar terror as the haze spread out from Quirrel's hand to form a cloud before him. Then it started to solidify, some sort of form becoming distinguishable in the centre, and a pair of terrible red eyes opened.

It was a Gastly, Harry's brain told him, but every other instinct in his body told him otherwise. Gastly do not have eyes like that. They do not make the air around them freeze like that… They did not smile like that. And then it spoke.

"Harry Potter, so at last we meet. Face to face."

It was Harry's worst nightmare realised. The face floated before him, smirking with its pitiless red eyes as it sized him up and knew it could take him.

"Voldemort," Harry breathed. The smile grew.

"Well done," the voice mocked. "So you have discovered my secret."

"But you're dead," Harry said. "You must be."

"And yet…," Voldemort said, his voice tailing off. "Your mother may have set back my plans, Harry Potter," he said, his voice now a hiss. "But I am beyond the mere reaches of mortality. I transcend it. I, can never die."

"There's no use looking to him," Voldemort told Harry as the boy looked helplessly to Professor Quirrel. "He has had little control of his own actions for quite some time. He has been a most useful puppet but he has fought me and for that…" Voldemort smirked. "There are consequences."

Quirrel let out a screen, falling to the floor in agony as whatever control Voldemort had been exerting over him was released.

"He has served his purpose," Voldemort said calmly, not in the least bit bothered by Quirrel's screams. "I have got the Sacred Ash, and as soon as I figure out how to open the casing I will be back to my glorious best. And nothing shall stop me this time."

"You won't get away with this," Harry said as Voldemort turned and started to slink over to Quirrel. Fortunately the screaming had stopped and Harry just prayed that Quirrel had just lost consciousness. "Dumbledore will stop you."

"I will be long gone before Dumbledore gets here," Voldemort said coolly, turning his attention back on Harry. "I have assured it. But you, Harry Potter, have a choice. Join me and live, or stand against me, and die." And suddenly Voldemort rushed forward.

"Chime!"

Chimecho moved in front of Harry, shielding him from the evil smog as a Safeguard bloomed around them, keeping them safe. Voldemort was pushed back and had to regather himself, his face reappearing as he set his gaze on Chimecho.

"I choose neither," Harry said boldly. "You won't win, I won't let you! Charmander, go!" Harry threw Charmander's Pokéball, the small fire type appearing at his feet, ready for battle. "Charmander, use Ember!"

Charmander let loose a spray of burning embers whilst at the same time Chimecho let out a sudden, surprising screech, causing Voldemort to recoil. His eyes burned darkly.

The counterattack was immediate. The smog that was Voldemort flitted like shadow in and around Charmander's Ember attack before stopping before Chimecho suddenly. A dark energy shot through the small distance between them and Chimecho went flying.

"Chimecho!" Harry cried in shock as the delicate looking Pokémon fell to the ground in a heap behind him. In his distraction Voldemort advanced on Charmander.

"Charmander!" Charmander was engulfed in a sea of dark smog and for a moment Harry could only just make out the flicker of Charmander's tail. Then Voldemort drew back and Charmander collapsed onto the ground.

"Charmander, are you alright?" Harry asked desperately, cradling the tiny Pokémon in his arms. He felt clammy, and was sweating profusely as he groaned in pain.

"You see Potter," Voldemort cried, sounding angrier than he ever had. "You cannot defeat me! You are weak! I am Lord Voldemort!" A chill swept throughout the room at these words, the candles on the wall flickered fiercely as though in a strong wind, and Harry felt a sense of despair well up from within.

"Chime!" A soothing bell sounded, emanating from somewhere behind them and Harry turned round to see that Chimecho, battered and bruised but most definitely alive, had risen back into the air. "Chime!" Chimecho continued to call in the same soothing tone and, to Harry's surprise, Charmander opened his eyes.

"Char," he said, almost seeming surprised to be awake, before he jumped onto his feet, moving to stand before Harry again. "Char Char," he shouted, staring down Voldemort with a new determination, the flame on the end of his tail growing taller.

"You're alright," Harry whispered in shock. He could only guess as to how he had recovered, but he was sure that he had Chimecho to thank. But there wasn't time for that and Harry instead focused his attention on the rolling, swirling mass hovering before him.

"Okay Charmander," Harry said, a determined look on his face that matched his Pokémon. "Use Ember!" Charmander opened his mouth but instead of an Ember attack a jet of fire burst forth, flying towards Voldemort and swirling around him, forming a huge spiral of flames that went from floor to ceiling.

"That was Fire Spin," Harry said in amazement, stepping back as an intense heat washed over him. Beside him Chimecho floated forward, looking at the swirling vortex of flames in awe.

"Enough!"

The fire broke. The flames flashed across the room as a shock wave struck, knocking Harry, Charmander and Chimecho to the ground hard. Harry's head hit the stone floor with a thwack and a sudden pain shot through him, paralysing him. Above him he could not see what was happening but he could hear noises, Charmander and Chimecho's cries, Voldemort's scream of rage, a pair of running footsteps, and then nothing as the darkness engulfed him and he knew no more.

* * *

The first thing Harry became conscious of was light shining through his closed eye lids. He groaned; it was too bright. He tried to shift to cover his eyes but his whole body ached and trying to move just resulted in a bigger groan. He opened his eyes.

He was lying in a bed, he found, as he stared straight up at the blank featureless ceiling. It was comfortable, even despite the soreness that pervaded through every muscle in his body, and as the fog in his mind started to clear he came to the conclusion that this must be the hospital wing, though he'd never had the experience of staying here before.

"Good morning, Harry," a voice spoke off to his right and his brain suddenly snapped into focus as everything came flooding back to him. The Ash, Charmander, Chimecho, Quirrel and Voldemort. "You have been out for quite some time."

Sitting next to him, looking completely calm and relaxed, was Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor?" Harry said, confused. He was half tempted to jump out of bed and go charging after Voldemort but the presence of the ancient Headmaster, seemingly un-hassled, calmed him. "What happened?"

"A question I would very much like to ask you," Dumbledore replied genially. "Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing to a small pile of chocolates sitting on Harry's bedside table. Harry frowned.

"A gift from your friends," Dumbledore explained upon seeing Harry's expression. "Mr Ronald Weasley and Ms Hermione Granger have been most worried for your wellbeing, as have much of the school, I believe. Your disappearance from the student body has become much more noticeable, what with your lack of appearance on the Quidditch pitch for yesterday's match."

Of course, Harry had all but forgotten that he had been due to compete in the final match of the season, the one to decide who won the Quidditch cup.

"How did we…?" he began to ask, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Sadly Gryffindor lost," Dumbledore admitted. "They put up a good fight but they simply were no match for Ravenclaw with a stand-in Seeker." Harry sighed disappointedly. Still, that wasn't really what mattered.

"Professor, what about the Sacred Ash?" he asked, his voice growing urgent as he thought of it in Voldemort's hands.

"Safe, Harry, I assure you," Dumbledore told him with a smile. "You did a remarkable job holding back Voldemort and I was fortunate enough to arrive just in time to drive him away."

"So Fletchinder found you," Harry said, feeling relieved.

"Yes and no," Dumbledore answered. "As a matter of fact I was already aware of Voldemort's attempt to steal the Ash before receiving your message, though Fletchinder did a remarkable job of reaching me so quickly." He gave a small nod to something above Harry's head and Harry looked up in surprise to find Fletchinder perched on the headboard. On second inspection he found that, as well as Fletchinder, Charmander was also there, sleeping in the bed next to him and looking no more the worse for ware.

"I must say you have a pair of remarkable Pokémon," Dumbledore told him. "For the time you've been here neither have left your side. Such loyalty is admirable, and a sure sign of the bond between you and your Pokémon." Harry blushed at the praise.

"But Professor," Harry said. "How did you know Voldemort was going after the Ash?"

"Well, for the same reasons you did, I'm sure," Dumbledore said simply. "I made the connection between the spirit you encountered in the forest and Voldemort and the very object I was keeping safe here at Hogwarts. As to how I knew exactly when Voldemort made his move… perhaps you would hazard a guess."

Harry thought carefully.

"The Alakazam," he said suddenly, realisation hitting him. "That was your Alakazam."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Yes, it was one of my safeguards, as it were. A protection within a protection. Alakazam and I have been a team for quite a number of years, and in that time we've been able to create a link between our minds where we can send each other thoughts and feelings. The moment Quirrel, possessed by Lord Voldemort, stepped into the chess chamber I was alerted at once and began my journey back to the castle."

Harry nodded, amazed at what a Pokémon like Alakazam could do. Harry had known he was strong simply from the way he had controlled the chess pieces but he had never known it had such incredible capabilities.

"And what about Quirrel, sir?" Harry asked tentatively. He wasn't sure he would like the answer.

"Professor Quirrel, I regret to say, is not in the best condition," Dumbledore told him with a sad sigh. "He suffered from really quite severe burns down there, a fine example for how little Lord Voldemort cares for human life. Unfortunately the worst of Quirrel's injuries are the one's done to the mind."

"Quirrel, as I'm sure you have realised, has been under the control of Voldemort for much of the time you have known him," Dumbledore explained. "My belief is that on his travels Quirrel came across Voldemort and, not realising what he was but knowing he was not, eh, normal, caught him in a Pokéball for later study. Unfortunately the bond between trainer and Pokémon is, I believe, what allowed Voldemort to control Quirrel so effectively."

"How is that possible?" Harry asked.

"It is not, for most people," Dumbledore said. "But Voldemort has experimented beyond what any sane person would dare to do. You saw the results just a few days ago. The blast that should have killed him, and which led to your mother's demise, in fact only served to expel him from his mortal body, leaving him no more than a spirit, not dead but not truly alive. I imagine he has been waiting for a long time for an opportunity to return to his human form ever since, and stumbling across Professor Quirrel was the perfect chance. The Sacred Ash, the perfect tool."

"I don't believe it has been easy, even for someone of Voldemort's considerable power," Dumbledore pondered. "The stutter Quirrel has spoken with all year, I do not believe that was part of Voldemort's plan. I believe that Professor Quirrel has been subconsciously fighting from the beginning, forcing Voldemort to adopt the stutter to cover up moments of weakness. It would have been awfully suspicious if Quirrel's stutter had miraculously disappeared as the year went by."

Harry nodded, he could see how that could be the case. But still, there was one thing Harry needed to know.

"So what happened to the Sacred Ash?" he asked. "Voldemort didn't get it, did he?"

"The Sacred Ash is safe," Dumbledore told him. "You made sure of that. But for now where the Sacred Ash is, well, even I don't know."

"You don't know?" Harry asked, worried.

Dumbledore smiled. "I gave the Ash to Fawkes," he explained. "I think that is for the best, don't you?"

Harry nodded. The Sacred Ash was said to have come from a Ho-oh, it made sense that it should be protected by one too.

"And on that note, I think I should be taking my leave," Dumbledore said cheerfully, rising to his feet. "The end of the year is nearly upon us and there is still much to be done. I shall leave you to rest." He made for the door.

"Professor," Harry said, stopping the old man short. "There's something I wanted to ask you, sir, something more." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "It's about the Sorting Xatu."

"Oh," Dumbledore said simply, turning to face Harry fully. Harry took this as an invitation to ask his question.

"When I was being sorted Xatu spoke to me," he told Dumbledore. "He said that he couldn't decide where to sort me, either Gryffindor or Slytherin." Dumbledore actually looked surprised by that. "It told me that it could see a path for success, one through Gryffindor and one through Slytherin, and that it couldn't choose which was best so let me choose instead."

Dumbledore had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Interesting," he said, stroking his long white beard. "It is very rare for the sorting Xatu to be conflicted, even rarer that it choose to communicate with the student it is sorting. I'm sure Xatu must see great things in your future."

"But what does it mean?" Harry asked. "How could I be a Gryffindor or a Slytherin? I don't understand."

Dumbledore smiled. "The future," he said. "Is uncertain. Even a Pokémon like Xatu cannot see for certain what will happen through the years. Maybe you would have succeeded in Slytherin, but we will never know. On the other hand you have fitted well into Gryffindor, made some good friends, earned yourself a lot of fans for your exploits on the Quidditch pitch," he smiled. "And if I may say, going after Voldemort like you did was a decidedly Gryffindor thing to do."

Harry blushed. He wasn't sure if that was praise or not but it made him feel good nonetheless.

"The one thing I would say is that you should remember Xatu's words carefully, and heed them well," Dumbledore said seriously. "Back when I was your age the Sorting Xatu warned me of the perils of ambition, and it was right."

Dumbledore paused for a moment.

"And now I really must leave," he said eventually. "Madam Pomfrey wants you to rest, and I wouldn't want to cross her. Chimecho too, would be very displeased with me," he reached down to his belt and patted a Pokéball sitting there, giving Harry a smile. "She has grown rather fond of you," he said, giving Harry a wink. "I wouldn't want to risk her wrath."

And then Dumbledore was gone and Harry was alone in the Hospital Wing. Well, not quite alone.

"Fletch," a noise sounded from above Harry's head.

"Hey there, Fletchinder," Harry said, smiling as the bird Pokémon realised he was awake and started to get agitated. "Hey, calm down," he grinned as Fletchinder eventually settled back down again. "You did a great job getting that letter to Dumbledore," he told his Pokémon, reaching up to stroke his beautiful plumage. "Thank you."

As Fletchinder happily accepted Harry's praise Charmander stirred and, seeing Harry was awake, quickly jumped out of bed and hurried over.

"How are you doing, Charmander?" Harry asked, dropping a hand down so he could lift Charmander up onto the bed with him. "You're not hurt at all?" Charmander shook his head before giving Harry a concerned look. "I'm fine," he assured him. "I'm just glad we're all okay."


	16. Goodbye

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokemon, which belong to the Pokemon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokemon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.

* * *

For the next few days Harry found himself bound to his bed in the Hospital Wing, no matter the fact that after the first day or so he felt absolutely fine. Over this time he came to discover that staying in the Hospital Wing was incredibly boring.

There was nothing to do in the Hospital Wing meaning the only source of entertainment Harry got was when Ron and Hermione came to visit him, and Madam Pomfrey operated very strict rules for visitors.

The first time Hermione and Ron had been allowed to visit Hermione had almost cried at seeing him sitting up in bed, almost looking as though nothing had happened. He was quickly pressed into revealing the details of what he'd seen after he'd walked through the fire and he could tell that his story did not disappoint, Hermione and Ron were completely awestruck.

Harry was also able to learn what had happened while he was facing off with Voldemort in the final chamber. Hermione had gone back through to the chess chamber and picked up Ron, but the two quickly found themselves stuck as they could not reach the trapdoor to get out.

"And that Tangrowth just get trying to tie us up," Hermione told him. "Growlithe and HootHoot had their hands full. I was just thinking we should go back and regroup when Dumbledore flew down, holding on to a Ho-oh. A Ho-oh, can you believe it!?"

"His name's Fawkes," Harry added helpfully. Hermione gave him an irritated look.

"Thanks for forgetting to mention that part of your meeting with Dumbledore," she shot back before she took a breath to compose herself. "Anyway, Dumbledore just looked at us and said 'Harry's fighting him, isn't he?' and then he was off. Then his Ho-oh… Fawkes, whatever, came down, picked us up as though we weighed nothing and lifted us straight out the trapdoor and all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room."

It was at this point that Madam Pomfrey had put her foot down and Ron and Hermione had been forced to leave, insisting that Harry needed rest and was not to be stressed, and though they had visited since they did not talk any more about what happened with the Sacred Ash.

* * *

"Good thing Madame Pomfrey let you out, eh?" Ron grinned, pulling his trunk down from the luggage rack. They were on the Hogwarts Express, mere seconds away from stopping at Kings Cross station, and Harry was preparing himself to leave the world of Pokémon for the next few months and return to the Dursleys.

"I wouldn't have minded staying to be honest," Harry replied. Madame Pomfrey hadn't been keen on letting Harry discharge himself but Harry had insisted, and apparently Dumbledore had put in a good word for him, that he be allowed out to attend the end of year feast.

Ravenclaw had won the house championship, due in large part to their success on the Quidditch field and their academic excellence, with Gryffindor coming a respectable second, ahead of Slytherin by the narrowest of margins, much to Gryffindor House's delight.

They'd also gotten back their exam results just the other day, surprising Harry as the events with the Sacred Ash had completely wiped the memory of the exams from his mind. It turns out he needn't have worried anyway, achieving good marks across the board, even Potions, though Harry suspected there must be a grading curve that allowed that to be the case. Ron too had done a decent job, at least well enough to keep his mother happy. Hermione, of course, was top of the year, and only she was surprised by it.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad, staying with your relatives, I mean," Hermione told him. Ron and Hermione had quickly learned just how much Harry disliked the idea of returning to Privet Drive.

"And anyway, you won't be staying there long," Ron grinned. "As soon as I can convince mum and dad you can come stay with us." A summer with the Weasleys, now that was something to look forward to, and it was with that heartening thought that Harry stepped through the barrier between platforms nine and ten and returned to the _real_ world.

The Dursleys were there, all three of them, which surprised Harry as he had secretly been expecting that they would just let him find his own way back. They didn't look happy about it either and their expressions worsened as Harry approached, Charmander perched on his shoulder.

"Ready are you?" Uncle Vernon said gruffly. It seemed as though he was trying to speak to Harry while simultaneously pretending that he had nothing to do with him.

"Just a minute," Harry told him, ignoring the annoyed look on Uncle Vernon's face as he turned back to Hermione and Ron. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?" He almost felt like he was pleading with him.

"Promise," Ron said firmly before grabbing Harry in a manly hug and slapping his back a few times.

"We'll call too," Hermione assured him. Harry had scribbled the Dursley's home phone number on two scraps of paper, one for each of them, with the caveat that they promise to call as often as they could. "I'll miss you guys," she said, grabbing both Harry and Ron in an emotional hug.

"Me too," Harry said with a smile. But he knew that eventually they had to part ways and with Uncle Vernon's patience waring thin it would have to be now. "See you later," he waved to them, grabbing hold of his trunk and walking away, following the Dursleys out the crowded train station. He briefly caught sight of Seamus, and waved, receiving a grin and a wave back, and Oliver Wood clapped a hand on his shoulder as he passed, but soon he was seated in the back seat of Uncle Vernon's car with the knowledge that it would be a long time before he saw any of them again. With just Charmander and Fletchinder for company it would be a long summer.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that is it for Harry Potter and the Sacred Ash. I hope you've all enjoyed the first instalment of the series and are hopefully eagerly anticipating year 2, 'Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber'. Please let me know what you thought of Harry's first year at Hogwarts, I enjoy hearing what other people think since I can never read this objectively. What did you think I did well? What did you think I could have done better? If you have any questions then please message me and I'll try to clear up any confusion.

I'm going to take a short break between my stories so expect to see 'Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber' appear in a couple of weeks from now (or earlier depending on when you are reading this). The reason for the break is just to give a small gap for those following so that there's a clear end to book 1 and a clear start to book 2, rather than it all just merging together. Also it gives me extra time to continue working. I've got big plans for this series going forward.

Anyway, that's all from me for now. Thanks to everyone who has followed the story and particularly those who have taken the time to review. And since the response I've received has been so positive (and to make up for how short this last chapter was), I'm going to end here with a brief preview of 'Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber'.

Chapter 1: The Burrow

 _Life at Number 4 Privet Drive wasn't great for young Harry Potter, just recently twelve years of age, but it had been worse. For one thing he was no longer forced to sleep in the small cupboard under the stairs, having instead been given the smallest of Number 4's four bedrooms, which had previously been used to store all the toys his cousin Dudley had gotten for birthdays and Christmases that he no longer wanted, which seemed an appropriate description of the way the Dursleys' viewed Harry._

 _Harry had no misconceptions that this sudden change had been due to a dramatic act kindness. Far from it, the Dursleys were in fact trying to save their own necks. If anyone from Harry's school, Hogwarts School of Pokémon Training, got wind that he was being forced to sleep in a cupboard the Dursleys would have been in real trouble._

 _That of course brought Harry to the most important reason for why his summer at the Dursleys had been somewhat bearable, his Pokémon._

 _At this moment Charmander let out a big yawn, stretching his arms and legs comically as he tried to wake himself up. In the corner of the room Fletchinder was making no such attempts, happily snoozing with his head tucked under his wing. Harry himself was tired but was too excited to even contemplate sleeping. For today Harry was leaving the Dursleys._


End file.
